The Epic Fairytale
by BML Hillen-Keene
Summary: Fai is a Prince trapped in a tower waiting for his knight in shining armour, but he soon learns that sometimes the princess in a story must go looking for her hero.... Especially true when Fai's hero is Kurogane. AU. Kurofai, eventually.
1. The Prince in the Tower

_Disclaimer: Do not own Tsubasa; do own the plotline of this story_

_This is just an idea I couldn't get out of my head. It's a fairytale… sort of… All Tsubasa characters will make an appearance at some point. This is the setting up chapter, the more exciting stuff ill come later._

_FYI: Fai is the Fai we all know and love from the show and the manga, Yuui is the real fai, just because I found it difficult to write Yuui instead of Fai for the main character. _

_The Epic Fairytale_

_bml hillen-keene_

In the Kingdom of Celes there stood a great city called Valeria, a city made of tall buildings and sweeping roofs that gathered around the tallest of all the buildings in the city, the Palace, where the King and Queen of Valeria were joyously awaiting the coming of a child. Everyone in the Palace, the city and indeed the entire Kingdom awaited the birth of the child who would continue the royal line, the child that would go on to be the next King, or Queen of Celes.

They did not have long to wait.

Soon the echoes f a newborns cries could be heard across the city, and the people rejoiced, their cheers so loud, and their music so cheerful that none heard the lone cry of a second child; none in the streets could see the fear in the faces of the King and Queen as they beheld a second child; born mere minutes after the first.

In the Kingdom of Celes it was considered to be bad luck to have twins at the Queen's first birthing, because as the firstborn children they could both lay claim to the throne when their parents passed, and throughout history twins had nearly torn the entire land to ruin fighting for the crown. However, the royal family could not keep the birth of the second child to themselves and they could not bring themselves to kill it as many rulers had done before them. Instead, they chose to bare the stigma of having firstborn twins.

The Advisors were unhappy with this decision, but could not go against the Kings final words.

For eight years the twin princes grew up together in the Palace, unaware of the strain they cause the rest of the Kingdom, who were awaiting the day the two began to argue over who would be ruler. They were delightful children, and often could be found playing in the gardens, or hatching great elaborate plans to escape their lessons, they were completely identical, which meant no one could tell which was the elder twin and which was the younger. They enjoyed using their looks to confuse others, and would often play tricks on their parents or on the staff and advisors.

However, one of the advisors, Ashura, had watched the two closely all their lives, and had come up with a plan to save the Kingdom the inevitable war that would come. He decided that in order to save the Kingdom one of the twins must be disposed of. Not killed, as that would be going against the King's decree, but removed from the Palace, and perhaps even the Kingdom. This way should something happen to the twin who remained he could always be returned and the Royal line could continue.

He watched them closely, and finally he chose the twin called Fai, who appeared to be much more of a dreamer and an airhead than his twin was; it was only coincidence that Fai was actually the second twin. Yuui was by far the better choice for King, much more practical and given to quiet, deep thought; he would grow up to be a much calmer and wiser ruler than the energetic Fai. He waited patiently until he could catch Fai playing alone before he approached him.

"Prince Fai."

Fai, who had been playing a quiet game involving a princess doll and a dragon, with many whooshing sound effects and girlish cries looked up, surprised. Usually Advisor Ashura did not speak to him or his brother. "How did you know I was Fai?" he asked, always curios to know how people told them apart.

"A secret your highness." Ashura told him with a kind smile, hiding his true motivations.

"A secret!" Fai grinned, his blue eyes sparkling. "Please tell me! I promise not to tell anyone else!"

"Not even Prince Yuui?" Ashura asked, pretending to consider it.

Fai nodded. "Even Yuui! Please!"

After a long time Ashura nodded, reaching down a hand to help Fai to his feet. "All right Prince Fai, I shall tell you, but I cannot tell you here, too many people might hear me. So will you come to me to a secret place?"

Fai took Ashura's hand unhesitatingly, grinning, thinking that this would be a great thing to tease Yuui with. Ashura lead him to one of the unused rooms of the Palace, where he whispered a strong sleeping spell that made Fai very tired. When Fai was fully asleep Ashura laid him on the floor and wrapping him in some old cloth and left him there so he could complete his duties.

That evening, as it was growing dark, and Prince Yuui was telling his parents that he could not find Fai anywhere, Ashura slipped from the Palace and the city and gave Prince Fai to a shadowy stranger who carried Prince Fai far away from the city of Valeria, past the borders of the Kingdom of Celes and into the Demon Forest, where he was placed into a room at the very top of a tall tower, a room with a door that could be opened by none save the serving girl who would care for the Prince in his captivity.

When Fai woke in this strange room with no way out, he was understandably and naturally terrified. He cried at first, then grew angry and broke some of the things in the room. He would sit by the window for days watching hopefully to see his father and mother arrive to take him home, but no one ever came, and as days turned to months and months bled into years, Fai began to lose hope.

The serving girl, Chi, was very nice to him, but she never stayed long, so Fai grew to be very lonely in his tower. He began to make up stories about princesses trapped in towers, and the brave knights who would come to rescue them. He would tell these stories aloud to himself, making up wild adventures involving witches and curses, magic swords and dragons; but even these stories could not make him feel any less alone.

The demons of the forest ignored the tower, walking around it as if they did not hear Fai's greetings, as did the few knights who passed by. Not once did any of them look up to see Fai leaning out the small window, waving and calling to them, hoping that one of them would notice him and help him get out so he could return home, but none did.

They probably had their own princess's to think about. After all, what noble knight would stop to save a Prince from his lonely tower when the beautiful princess he would marry would be waiting for him elsewhere? Though he could understand this, after all, even in his own stories, the knight searched for his princess and saved her, and after so very long waiting, he did not think there would be anyone coming to find him.

He often tried to draw Chi into staying for longer, but the girl would quickly make her excuses and leave him, though there was always a sad look in her eye as she did, as if she did not like to leave him by himself so often. He was by no means left with nothing to do, Chi often brought him a book every week, most of them were books on politics, courtly behaviour and other things he thought his brother must be learning from the Palace tutors. There were however a rare few that were story books, telling of great deeds, which fuelled his daydreams.

He would imagine himself to be a great swordfighter, perhaps a pirate, or a powerful mage. He would imagine himself as such because if he did not then he would begin to think of his home and his family, of all the things that could be happening there; and if he began to think about those things the pain in his heart would grow, and the hurt would stay with him forever, and he did not want to start hating his family.

However, he was resigned to remaining in the tower, he had tried many different ways to escape, slipping out the door when Chi came to bring him his food, but the stairs seemed to wind on forever and no matter how many he walked down the door to his little tower room was right behind him. He had tried climbing out the window, but a great force would grasp his hand or foot and pull him back into the room. He had tried to break through the roof by climbing upon piles of furniture, but the roof just seemed to get higher and higher until he could not reach.

He was well and truly trapped, more like the princesses in his stories than the noble saviour. He could only gaze out the window and daydream, or watch the knights pass below his prison, his heart growing heavier everyday that one did not come for him.

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	2. The Black Bird

_New instalment of the fairytale. Just be warned that things and people in this story may not behave exactly like they do in the original stuff. I just hope you enjoy the story for what it is._

When Fai reached the age of eighteen, signifying that ten years had passed, he had fully resigned himself to remaining in the tower forever. He had fallen into a routine easily enough, and kept to it rigidly every day, simply because if he did not then he would find that days had passed in a haze and he could remember doing nothing other than sitting by the window and daydreaming, once he had managed to go an entire week in this state, he had not noticed Chi entering the room and trying to coax him into eating something, he had just stared out at the forest, sighing.

When he woke he would eat, then spend four hours practicing the courtly behaviour as detailed in the books he had. He was determined to learn this, even if he was stuck in the tower forever, because he was still a Prince, and as a Prince he needed to know how to properly greet those of other kingdoms, during this time he normally had some form of midmorning tea or lunch depending on when he had awoke and he practiced the correct way to behave at a meal.

After Lunch, he would move on to sword practice. This was more difficult than etiquette training as he was forced to use a wooden sword he had roughly fashioned from a tree branch that had grown too close to his window, so it was nothing like an actual sword. On top of that, he only had the written descriptions of the moves involved in sword fights, so he could never be sure if he was doing it right, but it was delightful fun to prance about his room, parrying and thrusting at imaginary opponents.

When he grew tired with this he would move on to his writing exercises, which always started out as attempts to write a political treaty or declaration of war as detailed in the books of politics, but always managed to turn themselves into recordings of his stories. On some nights he would stay up well into the early morning as he chronicled is make believe adventures, but when he did not he would instead eat and then bathe in the tub Chi filled for him every evening and go to bed, ready to begin again in the morning.

It was hardly the most exciting of existences, but it kept him distracted from his lonely confinement.

But on one afternoon, his routine was disrupted most violently. He had been practicing with his wooden sword, leaping into his bed, brandishing the sword and announcing that he, the mighty Prince Fai, would not be bested by a mere dragon when he caught sight of a large, dark shape heading directly for the tower. Dropping the wooden sword, he made his way to the window, curious.

The dark shape grew closer, large black wings beat against the air, carrying it forwards and directly towards the window he was standing at. It did not look like any of the demons in the forest, nor did it look like a dragon. As it grew ever closer, he saw that it was actually a large black bird, with a wicked looking shiny black beak and long curved claws. He leaned out the Window as it drew closer, hoping to see it as it flew over the tower. He did not realise what it intended to do until the last moment.

He expected the large bird to suddenly angle itself upwards and over the tower, but it's next wing stroke took it straight at Fai, who scrambled backwards, afraid it would come crashing through the window, but he did not move quickly enough and a large claw wrapped itself around his arm and the bird began to pull him out of the tower.

Fai struggled, because as much as he wanted to leave the tower he did not want to become food for this creature, but it's grip was strong, and the claws ripped into the skin on his arm, creating deep holes in the skin and giving it better purchase. The bird was stronger than he, and in two strong beats of its wings it had dragged him out of the window.

He felt the magic of the tower wrap around his ankle and begins to draw him back inside, and he cried out in pain as the bird continued to pull him from the tower, and the magic of the tower sought to draw him back in. It felt as if he would rip in two, that the bird would have his arm, the tower his leg and the rest of him would fall to the unforgiving ground below to die.

He felt the bird's second claw dig into his shoulder, and with a final, strong upbeat of its wings, he was free of the pull of the tower. The bird rose into the sky, high over the trees of the demon forest, and Fai looked below him, his free arm scrabbling to grip the leg of the bird just in case it should suddenly drop him. The arm and shoulder it held in its crushing, cutting grip throbbed and sparked with pain, and he wanted nothing more than to pass out from the hurt it caused, but his fear of falling kept him awake.

The land below passed quickly, they were soon past the Demon forest and over the rolling hills and plains of another place. He could not remember now if this was what Celes looked like, or if he was over some other kingdom. They passed over farms, sprawling cities, and large lakes. The bird never wavered in its course, it just flew straight, and the claws never lost their purchase.

All he could hear was the thundering of the wind caused by every stroke of the bird's wings and he thought he might soon go deaf. His arm and shoulder had gone numb already, and when he was not watching the land below he was watching in sickening fascination as the blood dripped from the cuts, soaking his sleeve and seeping further into the fabric across his chest.

Suddenly the land below changed again, and he looked down, his eyes tired and a little unfocused now. A huge maze sprawled the land, so large he could actually see small towns set up inside it. Suddenly the bird began to angle downwards, and he tore his gaze from the maze below to look ahead. A castle stood in the centre of the maze, dark and foreboding, nothing like how he remembered the Palace of Valeria to look like.

The bird spiralled down, and Fai watched the castle grow closer with every circle they did. He did not know if he should be relieved, or afraid to be landing here. After all, he did not know who lived here, and if they sent this bird to get him, he could not be sure of their intentions.

He was dropped to the ground a few feet from it, and he collapsed. He did try to raise himself up, but his arms were weak and tired from being in the clutches of the bird, so he could do little more than look around him. His eyes widened when he saw the bird land not far from him, shimmering as it landed and changing into a woman. She did not look at him but walked past him. He followed her with his eyes, shocked and surprised, he had not known that people could turn into animals.

"You have done well Xing Huo." A man's deep voice said.

Fai struggled to see him, but his vision was beginning to blur as the pain in his arm and shoulder sparked up again in protest of his trying to move.

"Thank you My Lord." The woman answered, her voice showing no emotion.

Fai watched the blurry figure of the man approach him and hunch beside him, he blinked in hopes of clearing his vision, but that only served to darken it further, and he felt himself slipping into the welcoming blackness of unconsciousness. He struggled against it for a few seconds longer, needed to know what was going on.

He felt fingers begin to trace a line across the side of his face, brushing his messy blonde hair to the side, a hand turning his head. It had been such a long time since someone had touched him and he found himself nuzzling the hand as it cupped his face, closing his eyes and allowing himself to drift off into the inky blackness that called do him. After all, it couldn't be too bad; the hand that had touched him was warm and gentle.

"He is perfect, my congratulations my dear." The man smiled as the boy faded into sleep, a cruel twist to his lips. "Take him to one of the guest rooms and tend his wounds and call me when he wakes." The man stood and turned, his robes sweeping around him and left the courtyard to return to the castle.

The woman, Xing Huo, watched her master leave before looking to the boy. She felt quite sorry for him; her master was not a kind man. However, she dutifully did as her Master had commanded and ensconced the boy safely in a guest room and tended his wounds and then say by his bedside waiting for him to stir.

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	3. The Villain

_I'm afraid I have no idea what is going on in this story, it seems to be writing itself, and is turning out quite nicely I must admit. Just a quick note on Fai, because I'm not sure if I am getting it across properly in the story itself; being alone for so long in the tower, with only his stories as entertainment and company, and the way he will later in the story draw on these other persona's, is the equivalent of the Tsubasa Fai's way of hiding everything behind a smile and a lie. It will probably be clearer later what I mean I just thought I should throw it out there so no one gets confused or complains that he is not perfectly in character._

When Fai woke, the first thing he noticed was that he didn't hurt, which of course lead him to believe that perhaps he had just dreamed about the giant black bird. But when he opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar canopy above his bed, he knew he had not dreamed it. He looked down at the arm that had been hurt by the birds claws and found it, his right shoulder and part of his chest covered in bandages, a few hints of red bleeding through it. But it did not hurt at all.

"You have been given some strong pain relieving medicine."

He jumped in surprise and his eyes flicked about the room to find the owner of the voice, finally coming to rest on a woman standing beside the door. She watched him emotionlessly. With a start, he recognised her as the bird. He pushed himself into a sitting position and studied her.

"Uh…" he began hesitatingly. "Where am I?"

"Castle Reed." The woman answered him tonelessly.

Fai nodded, feeling nervous. "And why am I here?" he asked

"Because I asked her to bring you."

Fai jumped again as the door opened and the man who spoke entered.

"My name is Fei Wang Reed, you may call me Master, or My Lord." The man said, striding across the room to the bed. Fai cringed back as the man towered over him and looked him up and down. The man reached down, took hold of Fai's chin, and moved his head from side to side, studying him closely before releasing him and nodding. "Yes, you will do perfectly." He turned and was about to sweep back out of the room.

"Perfect for what?" Fai cried out, confused and a little afraid.

The man turned his head t look back at him. "Why as a sacrifice of course." He said, as if it was a perfectly obvious situation.

Fai leaned back into the pillows of the bed, wide eyed. Sacrifice?

"Make sure he is well looked after." Fei Wang Reed told the woman by the door. "We shall begin the ritual when he is fully healed."

"Of course my Lord." The woman answered, her eyes fixed on Fai.

The man left.

Fai's thought's swirled. Sacrifice? Him? Why? This man, he decided resolutely was the villain. Every story had a villain. Normally the villain was the one who took the princess from her home ad locked her in the tower, or put her into an endless sleep; but Fai decided that this man was a far worse villain.

Days passed, long and slow, a chilling parody of his previous life in the tower. He was left alone in the room he had woken in, a room without windows to allow for light, served meals and his arm treated by the bird woman, who spoke only when spoken to and always in the same emotionless way. At least Chi was a cheerful presence in the tower, even if she didn't stay long. There were no books to read, and nothing of any interest in the room.

He worried about the sacrifice he was supposed to be. Worried that every day it was getting closer. He knew that there was no hope of rescue in this place, surrounded as it was by a great labyrinth, even if there was some noble hero searching for him they would not think to look here. His arm was healing slowly, the deep gouges of the bird claws closing slowly and still seeping blood. The herbal drinks he was given with every meal kept the pain at bay.

"How long have you been here?" he asked the woman one day, desperate to hold a conversation with another person about something to try to take his mind off the impending ritual.

"Sixteen years." The woman answered.

"How did you come to be here?"

"My Lord found me as a child and took me here and raised me." She replied, no emotion there, so he could not tell if she was grateful or bitter about it.

"Is he your hero?" he asked, after all, he reasoned, there was no rule that said that only good people could be heroes, and if he had saved her then it was perfectly logical for him to be her hero.

"No."

Fai sighed. "Oh…" he looked down; tugging at the shirt he wore. His face brightened suddenly. "Are you waiting for your hero then?" he asked.

She looked at him, head tilted in confusion at his words. "No."

"Oh… I am." He told her simply. "You see I was taken from my home when I was young and put in that tower you took me from. I don't know why. But you see I've read many stories about princess's who have been locked away, and a hero who comes to rescue her. And there are far too many for some of them not to be true."

"You are not a princess." She told him.

Fai sighed lightly, and his cheery expression faded. "I know. That's why I've given up believing there will be someone trying to find me. After all, what brave knight who want to rescue a Prince?" he looked up at her and gave her an encouraging smile. "But that doesn't mean that you should not believe. There's always a hero out there for beautiful girls." He told her, certainty ringing in his tone.

She looked at him for the longest time, and he smiled at her. Finally, she turned away, gathering up the tray of food and used bandages and left the room. The key turned in the lock, sealing him into his new prison. Fai rolled onto his side and curled up, feeling a heavy sadness settle upon him.

"It would be nice…" he whispered to himself. "If I knew love before I died."

Unbeknownst to Fai, as he fell into a fitful sleep, his words had had a profound effect on Xing Huo, who, after she had done her normal duties, sat quietly in the room provided for her and considered the young princes words. It did not surprise her that she felt sadness, which was an emotion she often felt for victims of her Masters whims. She had given up hope for herself many years ago, before Fei Wang Reed had found her, when her family had been killed by hunters who did not care that they were murdering a family. Her Master had given her a purpose when he had taken her in, and she lived for that purpose now.

But what the boy had said, about heroes… As ridicules a notion as heroes were she found that her heart ached for him, that he had given up on finding one of his own, while at the same time telling her, she who did not believe in heroes and rescues, to hold out hope, that one would be searching for her.

Why she made the decision she could never explain, but it was made, and in the next instance, it was put into motion.

Fai was woken by a quick shake and he woke with a start, afraid that the time had come and he would be taken for the ritual. Instead, he was surprised to find Xing Huo holding out a cloak to him. He was about to question her but she held a finger to her lips and tossed the cloak to him. He got out of bed, put the cloak on, frowning, but he followed her when she motioned him to. She led him through the dark corridors of the castle, taking twisting trails he knew he would never be able to navigate on his own.

At last she stopped beside a small wooden door and turned to him. "He will ask for you in a week. I will be able to keep him from discovering you are gone for another. You have fourteen days to escape the labyrinth and find your hero. After that he will come for you."

Fai looked at her in surprise, and his face broke into a grateful smile. He took her hand and kissed it gently, like the books said he should. "Thank you fair lady. Should I come across the one meant for you I shall point him towards you." He promised her.

She looked at him in wonder, but hurried him on and through the door. "This corridor will lead you into the labyrinth. Find the Witch; she will be able to guide you out."

"Thank you." Fai said, and meant it with his entire being.

He entered the corridor and walked for what seemed like hours, his hand grazing the cold stone wall so as to assure himself he was still in the dark corridor and not in a dark abyss. He did not know why Xing Huo had helped him, but he was glad she had. All he had to do now was escape the labyrinth and somehow find his way back to Valeria and his family, who he was sure would protect him.

There had to be a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why they had not come for him while he was in the tower.

He reached the end of the corridor as morning was breaking outside the castle, and he stood in shock, looking up at the huge vine cover walls that made up the labyrinth, the walls stretched for what looked like miles in either direction, and already Fai was beginning to feel hopelessly lost.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed this hopeless feeling aside and tried to imagine himself as a strong and proud knight, who would not be so easily intimidated by the maze. With the façade firmly in place he straightened ad resolutely chose the left direction and began walking. He would get out of this place, and he would get home.

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	4. The Wishing Witch

The Labyrinth was vast, he knew this already of course from when he had seen it when he first arrived at castle Reed, but even knowing how vast it was from the air, did nothing to temper the sheer size when he was standing inside. It was beginning to grow dark, and his brave knight façade was beginning to crumble as he kept walking, turning countless turns and walking down endless paths. Already a day was up and he couldn't tell for sure if he had managed to get any great distance from the Castle, though from the way it loomed over him he doubted he had made any progress.

"Would you stop just standing there and give me a hand here!"

"You said before that you didn't want my help."

"No! I said I didn't want you following me! But seeing as you're here you should make yourself useful and help me carry this!"

Fai peered round the corner; there was a small goblin who was dragging what appeared to be a statue, and a troll who was watching him with an amused expression. Perhaps they knew the way out of the Labyrinth. He stepped around the corner, a bright smile on his face.

"Hello." He called.

"AGHHHHHHH!" The goblin shrieked, dropping the statue and dashing to stand behind the troll. "A Spirit! Kill it Domeki! Kill it!"

"Technically you can't kill a spirit Watanuki, they're already dead." The troll said his voice a monotone of disinterest.

"Well BANISH it then!" the goblin cried, shoving the troll forward.

Fai held his hands up in what he hoped was an 'I come in peace' gesture and said quickly. "I'm not a spirit. Really. I'm just lost." His eyes darted between the two, and he hoped he was being convincing, because he had a feeling he might not meet anyone for a very long time.

The goblin stuck his head round the troll and looked at him with narrowed, suspicious eyes. "Lost? A likely story. You're not a goblin, or a troll, or any of the other creatures that live in the Labyrinth. You're here to lure us into a false sense of security and then you'll drag us up to the castle!"

Fai blinked, but found his smile growing. "No, no. I'm not here to do anything like that. I'm trying to escape."

The goblin stepped out from behind the troll completely. "Escape?"

Fai nodded. "Yes, the Lord in the castle, Fei something or other wanted to use me as a sacrifice. So I'm trying to get out of the Labyrinth and find my way back to Celes where my family is." He told them.

"Family?" the goblin question sounding a little sad, and the troll put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Fai nodded. "So I was wondering if you could point me in the general direction of the exit?"

"We don't know the way to the exit." The goblin told him, shrugging the hand off his shoulder and glaring at the troll. "No one who lives in the Labyrinth knows how to get out."

Fai sighed and frowned, thinking hard, then his face brightened as he remembered. "Do you know where the Witch is?"

"He knows the witch." The troll said, jerking a thumb at the goblin. "He works for her."

"Wonderful! Could you tell me where she is?" Fai asked.

The goblin looked at him for a long time before nodding. "Come on then. And you! Help me carry this!" he snapped at the troll before going round to the head of the statue and pulling it. The Troll sighed and when to the feet of the statue and lifted it easily, earning some amusing spluttering from the goblin.

The walk to the witch's cabin was slow, but entertaining. Fai spent much of the journey with his hand pressed to his mouth to stifle the chuckles of amusement. The two creatures were like a comedy act, reminiscent of the plays he had seen when he was a child with his brother. That thought left him a little sad, but he pushed it aside and watched the bickering pair in amusement.

The cabin was small and rickety looking, with dark smoke puffing out of the lopsided chimney. The troll dropped his end of the statue and said. "I don't go into the witch's house." And crossed his arms, ignoring the protests of the goblin who wanted him to help get the statue inside. Fai offered his assistance and after giving him another long look the goblin nodded and turned to the troll.

"See Domeki! That is what nice people do, offer to help!"

The troll huffed. "I'll see you tomorrow." And he ambled off into the darkness.

The goblin seethed. "Idiot!" he yelled after the disappearing figure. "Stupid troll! See if I make him lunch ever again!"

Pressing his lips together to avoid laughing out loud, Fai lifted the back end of the statue, grimacing as the weight pulled on his arm, which had not hurt at all, all day. It quickly settled into a dull throb, but he pushed the pain aside and helped the goblin get the statue into the cabin. He dropped the statue in shock when he got inside, gazing wide eyed at the huge mansion hidden inside the tiny ramshackle hut. There were gold drapes on the walls, statues, swords, and priceless artefacts placed around the room.

"Yuuko! You have a customer!" the goblin called.

"A customer?" Fai looked up to where the voice was coming from to see a very beautiful woman walking down the grand staircase. She reached the bottom and walked towards them. "Well well, I hadn't expected you to arrive until the morning. Watanuki, go make me some dinner. I've been absolutely starved all evening!" she waved her hand at the goblin who bristled.

"I was off getting you that stupid statue, and you have the audacity to act like I was off having a good time! And your perfectly capable of making your own dinner dammit!" he snapped.

The Witch laughed as the goblin stomped his way to the back of the room behind the staircase and a door slammed shut. Then she turned to Fai, her eyes sweeping over him appraisingly. "You probably shouldn't be carrying heavy objects with your arm injured as it is." She told him.

Fai self-consciously grasped his injured arm and gave a wan smile. "It was the polite thing to do." He said, and remembering his self-taught lessons in courtly behaviour, he took a step back and bowed deeply. "Milady, I am Prince Fai of Celes, it is an honour to meet your acquaintance." The straightened, his most charming smile on his face.

The Witch smiled and nodded knowingly. "I am Yuuko, the wishing Witch of the Labyrinth." She introduced herself.

"Wishing Witch?"

The Witch nodded again. "I grant people's wishes, for a price of course."

"Well, I'm not looking to have a wish granted." He told her. "I'm just here to ask for directions out of the Labyrinth."

She smiled, a secret knowing smile, but did not comment. "Stay with us tonight, I will be able to give you what you need to escape the Labyrinth in the morning. Like I said, I was not expecting you tonight." She turned without waiting for a reply and led him into a large, lavish dining area. He ate well, and during the dinner conversation he rediscovered the teasing nature he had had as a child, and the Witch seemed to delight in drawing that side of him out, though Watanuki the goblin did not seem best pleased by this turn of events.

He slept well in one of the rooms and woke in the morning refreshed. The Witch was waiting for him when he descended the stairs, the goblin by her side, holding something. He came to stand in front of her and bowed. "Thank you for allowing me to spend the night milady." He said.

"You're quite the charmer aren't you?" she smirked. "You could stand to learn some of his manners Watanuki."

The goblin flushed an angry shade of red and muttered. "Your one to talk!"

Fai smiled, stifling his chuckles behind his hand and looked at the Witch. "Now, if you could do me the favour of giving me the direction I need to go in to get out of the Labyrinth I will be most grateful."

The Witch nodded and took the object the goblin had been holding and held it out for Fai to take. Fai did so. It was a small stuffed toy that looked somewhat like a round squishy rabbit, with long ears. Fai looked up at the Witch, a question written on his face.

"This is a Mokona. Not a real one of course, no one has seen a real Mokona in centuries, but the toy serves the same purpose. It will lead you to what you desire most." The Witch told him.

Fai looked at the little stuffed toy incredulously. "If you don't mind me asking… How?"

The Witch smiled and reached out, passing her hand over the toy, there was a ripple of magic and suddenly the toy began to squirm in Fai's arms and he looked down at it in surprise. It leapt from his arms to land on his head, and from there it did a through look over his entire being before it bounced away from him to look at various things of interest in the room. Fai watched it in some confusion before he looked back at the Witch.

"Why are you giving me a Mokona? Wouldn't simple directions to the exit of the Labyrinth be easier?" he asked.

The Witch smiled at him, in her secret knowing way and answered. "I can read people's wishes, and what you wish for is not to simply find the way out of the Labyrinth."

"Well, no, I'd like to find my way home to Celes." He agreed.

"No child, that is not what your heart truly desires. But if you follow Mokona you will find what you seek." She turned away from him, and he was glad because she did not see the pained expression that crossed his face and haunted his eyes. "Mokona." She called.

The Mokona stopped what it was doing and immediately returned, bouncing up to land lightly on Fai's shoulder, nuzzling his cheek. "Yes Yuuko?" it asked.

"You will journey with Fai and lead him to the thing his heart desires. When you have done this, you shall return to me here. Do you understand?" she told the toy creature.

Mokona nodded, its expression serious before it bounced down from Fai's shoulder to land in his arms. "I think I will like travelling with Fai! We will have lots of fun! I know we will!" it chirped happily. Fai found himself smiling back at the sweet behaviour, but his smile dropped a little when he looked back up at the Witch.

"You mentioned a price for your help last night." He reminded her. "I have no money with which to pay you for this service."

The Witch waved her hand. "The price will be paid in full when Mokona returns to me, you do not have enough to pay the price now." She said.

"But I will later?"

She nodded. "Now, you had better get moving, it will take you three days to get out of the Labyrinth, and your journey will be a long one, you will need to be a long way from here before Fei Wang Reed realises you are gone." She glanced at the goblin, who held out a small bag of provisions to Fai. "This is a free gift to start you off. Trust Mokona, she will not steer you wrong as long as you trust in her."

Fai took the bag and nodded, gently stroking Mokona's head. "Thank you." He said.

"It's my job." She waved him off. "Take care of that arm!" He nodded and smiled in thanks. When he left the cabin, she sighed and shook her head.

"What is his price?" the goblin asked her.

The Witch sighed again. "The one thing I doubt he can afford to lose." She answered honestly.

Watanuki frowned and looked up at her. "And what is that?"

"Hope." Was all she said.

_I'm afraid there's not a lot I can say about this chapter… Yes, for some reason unbeknownst to myself I made Watanuki a goblin and Domeki a troll… it just seemed to fit the world! They and Yuuko are OOC but as I have not read or watched xxxholic I'm afraid this was the best I could do. I have a very vague notion of how this story will go (He will meet Kurogane, Syaoran and Sakura… that's the whole idea I have) so I know the story telling is fairly slow at the moment, but I don't want to rush it onwards to where Kuro and the others show up because it just wouldn't work for the story at all I don't think. I'm trying to write this like a fairytale should be told, so please bear with me while I write this, and hopefully you will not be disappointed when you reach the end… whenever that may be…_

_Please Review_


	5. The Labyrinth

Squinting upwards to see the morning sunlight filter down the wall of the Labyrinth Fai cast his gaze to the castle, which loomed up like some terrible spectre waiting for you to let your guard down so it could pounce, a small shiver danced down his back as he looked at it, and it took some effort to turn his eyes forward again.

"Well Mokona, which way should we head?" he asked, smiling down at the small creature happily held in his arms.

One small white paw pointed forwards, and in a tone used by army generals Mokona said. "Forward!"

Fai nodded. "Forward it is." He agreed and set off, his step lighter than it had been yesterday.

The day passed quickly, and they made good progress. The route seemed haphazard, but whenever Fai looked back to judge how far they had gone from the castle he was always a little surprised to see it looming less and less. They spent most of the day talking, or playing eye-spy and Mokona occasionally burst into song as she bounced down the path ahead of him. Fai decided that it was nice to have someone with him for a change, it was nice not to have to make conversation with himself, even though was technically just a toy.

"Mokona." He called, coming to a stop. Though he did not like to admit it, his arm was beginning to seriously hurt and he was starting to get hungry. The shadows of evening were already beginning to fall over the Labyrinth. "Time for some food."

Mokona stopped and bounced back to him, and when he had sat down, she snuggled into his side and looked up at him. "Mokona too!" she chirped.

Fai smiled and broke off some of the bread and gave it to her. As they sat, his mind drifted back to the witch and what she had told him. What his heart desired was a stray dream he had all but given up believing in, though he did cling stubbornly to it, some childish hope attached and waiting for it to come true. Realistically what he wanted as to get back to Celes, to find out why no one had come to find him, to be part of a family once again.

"Mokona…" he waited until she looked up at him. "What are you?"

Mokona scratched the side of her head with a short paw as she thought before smiling widely. "Mokona is Mokona!" she told him.

Fai smiled. "Yes, but what is a Mokona?"

Mokona thought hard again before answering. "Mokona is a guide."

"A guide?"

Mokona nodded furiously fast. "Yes! A guide! Mokona's take people to the places they really want to be, places they sometimes don't know they need to be!" she told him cheerfully.

"Places they don't know they need to be…" Fai tapped his chin as he thought. "Interesting." They sat in relative silence for a while, Mokona humming cheerfully as she inspected some interesting leaves on the vines decorating the walls. At last Fai pushed himself up until he was standing, grimacing as he made the mistake of pushing up with his injured arm. He would truly appreciate some of those pain-relieving herbs he had been getting at the castle about now. "Well, let's press on shall we?" he asked.

Mokona smiled. "Press on! Press on! Yes! Forward and then left!"

They did not stop again for many hours. Fai quickly lost track of what turns they took and how long and far they had travelled. But as the Moon was reaching its highest point Mokona stopped, wilting tiredly, in a large covered podium. There were three paths leading in different directions around the podium. Fai climbed the step and dropped tiredly to the ground beside Mokona.

"Sleep now." She told him, yawning hugely, burrowing under his arm, and falling to sleep herself.

Fai leaned back against one of the pillars holding the roof up, trying to find a comfortable position, but it seemed no matter what way he tried his arm throbbed. He managed a few hours of a fitful doze that night, unable to sink into a deeper sleep, and morning came far too early to his mind. He opened his eyes, stretched carefully, and looked around to try to spot Mokona.

The little creature was flitting between the path to the left and the middle path, humming distractedly to herself as she did. Fai watched her as his hand rummaged in the bag of provision's, but as his fingers closed around another hunk of bread his stomach did a protesting flip and he let it go; maybe eating wasn't the best of idea's right now… besides it would be more sensible to save as much food as possible. He got to his feet, his movement caught Mokona's attention and she zoomed towards him full speed.

"Fai!" she nuzzled his cheek and hugged the side of his face happily.

"Mokona." He smiled, reaching up to stroke her head. "Which way do we go?"

She left his shoulder then and returned to her flitting between the two paths. "Mokona has a problem." She admitted to him.

"What is it?" he asked gently.

Mokona stopped in front of the middle path. "Mokona knows that this way is the fastest way out of the Labyrinth." She told him.

He nodded. "So what is the problem?"

"It's the most dangerous way." She said solemnly to him.

"Ah." He hummed. "The other path is a safer route?"

She nodded, but looked a little ashamed. "But it takes twice as long."

Fai looked at both paths and considered his options. Mokona bounced nervously in front of him, waiting for his decision. After a long, slow minute, he nodded to himself. "Well take the shorter route." He told her, she did not look very happy with this but nodded. "After all, we can't afford to take an extra two days to get out of here."

"But the shorter way is very dangerous… what if you die?" Mokona asked worriedly.

Fai knelt in front of her and smiled. "Well, even if that happens at least Fei whatever his name is can't use me in that ritual he's panning." He stood and looked down the middle path. "Now Mokona, we're great adventurers, so let's be very brave." He said.

"Adventurers?" Mokona asked, hopping up to his shoulder.

Fai nodded, and began to tell her one of the many stories he had read as he made his way down the middle path, hiding his growing anxiety well. But his voice tapered off as they reached the mouth of a cave, it was pitch black inside, and looked like a giant mouth ready and waiting to eat them. Mokona buried her face in his hair, and he swallowed apprehensively.

"Well…" he began, before realising he could think of nothing to say.

"The Mine of Traps." Mokona informed him, her voice muffled. "There are no lights, and not even magic can work in there."

Fai swallowed again, but straightened his shoulders, ignoring the stab of pain that spread through his injured arm. "Don't worry Mokona, there's absolutely nothing to be afraid of." He didn't know how he managed to sound so confident when inside he was anything but.

Mokona nodded miserably into his hair, and Fai steeled himself to enter the mouth of the mine. He had gone barely three feet when the light cut off completely, and when he looked back he could not see the way they had entered. He reached out his hand, seeking the wall but there was nothing. He squared his shoulders and resolutely stepped forward, he could do this; after all, heroes did this sort of thing all the time, so it couldn't be too difficult.

When nothing happened another five feet into the mine his confidence grew and his steps became less hesitant, and he moved more surely through the darkness. Mokona seemed to draw from his newfound confidence and began to hum softly in his ear.

The click was loud and distinct.

Fai's eyes widened, and his body moved of its own violation, backwards two steps and to the left and he felt a cold flash graze past his arm and e stood stock still, body vibrating tension. "Mokona?" he breathed. Mokona's reply was a frightened squeak, but he sighed in relief that she was all right. He listened closely but could hear no sounds, so he began to inch forwards, heart pounding as he waited to hear another ominous click, but none came. He continue onwards, wishing desperately he could see, at least he'd have some warning before the trap was sprung.

Ten steps after having that thought he felt the floor crack under his foot and suddenly he was falling. Mokona let out a wail, and had he not been desperately scrabbling for the edge to the pit he would have joined her. He gasped as he felt something sharp graze his leg, and the gasp changed to a groan of pain as he managed to catch hold of the edge and began to haul himself out.

"Wasn't that exciting?" He said as cheerfully as he could, breathing heavily. He could feel his trouser leg sticking to his leg and knew he was bleeding, there was also a spreading wetness along his arm. He had reopened the cuts there as well. He closed his eyes briefly and got back to his feet, hissing in pain as he did.

"Fai? Are you ok?" Mokona asked nervously.

Fai was glad the darkness hid the grimace that crossed his face. "I'm fine Mokona." He lied, but he didn't feel bad for it, he didn't want her to worry. "We'll be out of here in no time, you'll see."

Several hours and fifteen traps later Fai was beginning to tire, how he managed to avoid being impaled, flambéed, or cut in half he couldn't even begin to recollect, except that in the split second he heard the traps begin to whir into motion he was moving, ducking, twisting and jumping out of the way before he could think. But his strength was leaving him quickly; there was a steady drip of blood from the fingers of his injured arm that echoed loudly in the dark silence. He had placated Mokona, telling her it was probably just water dripping from the ceiling of the mine. He didn't know if she believed him, but she didn't question him further.

There was no sign of an exit, and he didn't know how long they had been in here. He trudged onwards, listening closely for any of the telltale sounds that accompanied the traps.

"There!" Mokona suddenly whispered into his ear.

He stopped and looked ahead wearily. "What is it Mokona?" he asked.

"The exit… There!" he felt her paw move and he assumed she was pointing ahead of him. He nodded, trusting that she knew where they were going and would tell him if he was going wrong. He started walking again.

A series of clicks, whirs, cracks and whooshes broke the dark silence, and Mokona squealed in fear. Once again, Fai's body reacted before his brain and he was moving. A step to the left to avoid a swinging blade, two steps forward to avoid the spears that plunged from the walls at where he had been standing, a jump to avoid the narrow pit that opened before him, landing in a roll that took him under the poison tipped arrows, pushing up and into a handspring that took him off the floor as a series of spikes raised with a hiss, his momentum carrying him over the final pit and he stopped dead as two blades slashed millimetres from his nose, and as they parted he stepped through them; into the light.

Shocked to suddenly be assailed by the red light of evening, Fai covered his eyes with his hand and dropped to his knees, breathing hard. He stayed like this for a long time, hearing but unable to respond to Mokona's concerned questions. When he finally found he could move the sun had sunk even lower and gloomy shadows bounced off the walls. He raised his eyes from the ground to look at Mokona, who was sniffling, tears streaming down her face.

"Mokona." He whispered.

"Fai!" she cried, flinging herself at him and sobbing. "Your hurt, and bleeding, and I looked but there are no more bandages and you wouldn't answer me!"

Fai smiled slightly, unsure if he did so to be reassuring, or in relief to be alive still. He let her cry into his cloak and looked at himself. His right arm was completely stained red, and blood had pooled on the ground beneath it and continued to drip. Holding Mokona with his good hand, he staggered to his feet, wobbling as he did. He wasn't sure his leg would continue to support him for long, looking down he could see his entire left trouser leg was as stained as his arm.

Sighing tiredly, he said. "Is there somewhere more comfortable to rest?"

Mokona sniffed and looked up at him, and he summoned a kind smile for her, sorry, that he had scared her so badly. "Two rights and a left." She mumbled miserably.

Fai thanked her and limped his way there. She had directed him to a grass circle, with a sparkling pond in the centre. He gratefully took a seat beside the pond and did his best to clean himself and his wounds. Mokona helped as best she could, bringing him water and holding the strips he managed to tear from his cloak. It took a good two hours before he deemed himself done, and even then he knew there was much more he needed to do. The cuts were still seeping, but a wave of exhaustion crashed over him hard, and he was asleep within moments.

He woke to Mokona frantically shaking his hand, the only part of him she could move easily. "Yes?" he asked.

"Mokona knows she should let Fai sleep more and get better, but the exit is near." She told him.

Fai smiled his thanks and sat up. The sun was already high in the sky. Ignoring the stabbing pain in his entire body, he forced himself to stand and limped after her. Mokona bounced ahead, often looking back to check on him, and she did not like the way his cheeks were so flushed, and the way he kept having to lean against the wall as he walked. There was a small trail of blood following him. The walk to the exit, which should have taken four hours, took ten. Mokona fretted constantly, and kept asking Fai if he was all right, but he just smiled, which made her worry even more.

They passed the columns of the exit and stepped out onto the wide sprawling grass plains surrounding the labyrinth, and Fai collapsed. Mokona was at his side in an instance calling his name. but as much as Fai wanted to reassure her that he was fine he found he couldn't, and he slipped into a welcoming sleep, surprised at just how tired he was.

_Well, that was exciting, wasn't it? I apologise for how Mokona acts in this fic, I know she's normally more talkative and bubbly, but to be honest I find her very difficult to write, but I did the best I could. Sigh. I hope you enjoyed, and I hope Fai is still reasonably IC. _

_Oh, and if any of you are interested in checking out some of my original works please visit my website www(.)bmlhillenkeene(.)webs(.)com, just take out the (); and if you do read one of them could you please leave a note in the guestbook telling me which you read and what you thought of it!_


	6. The Slaver

Torren Grimnose had been a slaver all his life. It was something of a family business, his father had been a slaver, his grandfather had been a slaver and so on right back ten generations, his mother had been a slave, as had all the women of the family, so it was also traditional for him to eye up the girls in his little chain gangs for the one who would be the mother of his son so that the family could carry on. He'd had his eye on a sweet little thing they had picked up a week ago, and just as soon as he sold the big talking brat she was with he would have her all for himself.

They were pressing on through the lands around the Great Maze; no one dared enter its walls, because none ever returned from its twisted depths, if the curses of the Labyrinth did not get you, then the monster that lived in the castle would. It was a tale all those who travelled these lands knew. Steer clear of the Maze and your life will be long and good, was a saying bandied by those in the closest towns and villages, but even so they all locked their doors and windows of a night, and strung protection symbols outside their homes to ward off the Death Bird, who flew from the castle to steal their children.

Torren Grimnose had never seen this Death Bird in all his travels, and he did not, as a general rule, put much stock in the tales of the monster in the castle. Avoiding entering the Maze was just good common sense, it would take too long to go through it, and the number of potential slaves would decrease so much that it was simply not worth it. Having said that, travelling the outskirts of the maze was normally the tie he and his gang were least likely to pick up some stray traveller, or a lost child.

However today looked to be a lucky day.

He had literally stumbled across the boy, and had been admittedly shocked to find him alive, he gave him a rough once over, checking to see if the wounds under the makeshift bandages were bad enough to kill him outright. He sat back on his haunches when he had determined that a little care would see him right again and considered him carefully. He was a looker, handsome in a pretty way; the slavers eyes raked down the boys body; slender, not much use in hard labour, but he would fetch a high prince from some noble family as a house slave.

"Oi! Throw him on the cart!" he told two of his men who quickly did as he was told. Torren Grimnose nodded in satisfaction and returned to his place at the head of the line.

They travelled several miles that day before stopping for the night. The boy on the cart did not wake once; Torren Grimnose slung the boy over his shoulder himself and strode through the pitiful slaves, kicking their grasping hands out of his way, ignoring their pleading for more food, or their freedom. They would soon learn that how he treated them was like how royalty was treated in comparison to some of the people they would be sold to. He made his way directly towards a pair of young one's, a boy and a girl; and tossed the newest addition to his little train down in front f them.

"Make sure he get's better." He said.

The girl stared at him, wide eyed, clutching the boy's arm and the boy glared at him, challenging him. Torren Grimnose found this irritating, but to lash out and bruise the boy could very well cost him a sale, and Torren Grimnose never missed a sale on a slave. Never.

"You be a good little girlie now and look after our new friend here." He leered at the girl, who cowered back a little more. The boy moved slightly so that he was further in front of her, and the slaver laughed. "You can't protect her forever boy. Just think what'll happen to her after you get sold off huh? Just think." He knew the boy knew exactly what he meant. With another laugh he turned and left them.

"Priestess?" the boy said at last, turning his head to look at her.

She smiled a little, but it did nothing to hide her fear. "I am ok Syaoran." She told him.

He nodded and tightened his fingers around hers.

She released his hand and moved towards the older boy the Slaver had thrown down before them, turning him over so that she could see his face, as she looked him over she wondered why someone would hurt another so badly. She pushed the cloak aside, closing her eyes briefly at the damage se saw there. When she opened her eyes again she was greeting to the sight of a strange creature sitting on the boy's chest. She let out a startled cry and moved back, groping blindly behind her for Syaoran's hand.

As their fingers touched and locked together sound flooded once again into her ears.

"Priestess? Sakura... what is that!" Syaoran asked, seeing the creature for the first time as they touched.

"Mokona is Mokona!" the little creature exclaimed. "I won't let you hurt Fai!"

They stared at each other in silence for a while, until Sakura held out her free hand. "Is that his name? Fai?" she hesitated when Mokona continued to scowl at her. "I'm not going to hurt him, I'm going to try and heal him..." she glanced back at Syaoran and back at Mokona again. "My name's Sakura, I'm a Priestess of the Healing order."

Mokona wavered, looking between them and the inured Fai.

"Please let her help." Syaoran added. "He'll just get sicker unless he's treated properly."

Mokona nodded. "Ok." She hopped down from Fai's chest and stood beside him. Sakura gave her a reassuring smile and released Syaoran's hand and began to tend to Fai's injuries. Mokona watched her, letting out a small cry when Sakura peeled away the makeshift bandages around his arm. "Is it bad?" she asked when she saw Sakura grimace.

Sakura did not respond and Mokona frowned. "Is it bad?... Sakura..."

"She can't hear you." Syaoran said suddenly.

Mokona looked over at him. "What?"

Syaoran reached out a hand, and it took Mokona a moment to realise that he was trying to reach for her. She stepped into the path of his hand. "Your blind." She said, her voice soft and confused.

Syaoran smiled, just a small quirk at the corner of his mouth. "Yes."

"But before... you could see me before!" she said, growing more confused. "And Sakura... she could hear me before."

Syaoran's head turned in the direction of Sakura and he sighed. "It's a curse." He told her.

"A curse?"

Syaoran nodded. "In the place that we are from a Priestess is not allowed to fall in love. We both knew that, but we fell in love anyway." He said.

"You can't help who you fall in love with!" Mokona said knowingly.

"True. But when it was discovered the High Priestess cursed us she made me blind and she made Priestess Sakura deaf, so that our being together would be too difficult. But somehow... Neither of us know's how it happened or why, but I know it was not how the High Priestess wanted it to be. But when we touch... when we touch I can see through her eyes and she can hear through my ears..."

Mokona shuffled closer as he spoke, and was now nuzzling his leg. "How did you end up here with these nasty people?"

"That was my fault." Syaoran said quietly. "I couldn't protect her..."

Mokona looked up at him, reading his sadness. She wished she could help, but there was nothing she could do.

Sakura turned to Mokona with a smile. "He will be fine now I think." She said, returning to her place at Syaoran's side, linking their fingers once again.

Mokona immediately went to Fai's side, and was relieved to see that his breathing, which had grown laboured during the night they had been outside the Labyrinth and in the cart, had evened out. "When will he wake up?" she asked worriedly.

"I would expect he should wake up sometime tomorrow, he's in a healing rest now. But he will be weak for quite a while I think." Sakura reassured.

Mokona nodded.

Food was rationed out amongst the slaves, and after it was eaten an uneasy silence fell over the slaves while the slavers cavorted with one another. Mokona curled up at Fai's neck and watched Syaoran and Sakura speak in low tones. At least, in all this terrible situation, there was one thing that was going right, she thought to herself.

They were going in the right direction.

_Sorry this took so very long... I had hoped to have two chapters done today, but unfortunately real life intervened! Sigh. At any rate, we have Syaoran and Sakura. Why I made Sakura a Priestess was simply that I needed a good reason why she could be cursed, and Fai was already a Prince, so having a Princess would just be a little too much I think. As to the curse they have... wellllllll... I can't explain that one, it's just how the story wrote itself. I am merely the messenger on this one I'm afraid._

_But in spite of that I hope you all enjoyed this, and will be waiting for the next instalment._


	7. The Priestess who could not Love

The land of Clow was a desert Kingdom, small towns clustered around oases and the people were content, in a way that no other people in the world were. Few traversed the great sands between watering holes, but still the land prospered and was happy. The most prominent power in Clow was that of the Priestess's; this was an order of women who specialised in water magic and healing, any girl born with the power of magic was taken into the order and raised to be a priestess.

It was a great honour.

One such girl was called Sakura. She had been taken in by the Order when she was three years old, so she had few memories of her birth family. But the order itself was as much like a family as any other, so she did not feel lonely or neglected, her sister Priestess's were always there should she need them. And so it was that she lived happy and contented within the walls of the order for seven years.

On the year she turned ten she, and the other novice Priestess's her age were brought before the High Priestess and told that they would begin their journeys, they were to be paired with an older Priestess, who would show them all that they needed to know about administering aid to the towns and villages of Clow. Sakura was excited and joyous to be starting her journey, knowing that when she returned in two years she would be ordained a fully-fledged Priestess.

It was in the first town she and her mentor came to that she met Syaoran for the first time.

Enchanted by the small festival the town had put on in honour of a visit from the Priestess Order, Sakura had quickly ended up far from her mentor, ducking between people in hopes to see more of the wonderful sights. She was enjoying herself so much that she did not, at first, notice the boy watching her. When she did notice him she turned her most brilliant smile to him and said.

"Hello, my name's Sakura, what's yours?"

The boy looked surprised, and was a little flustered and embarrassed as he answered. "I'm Syaoran."

She reached out and caught his hand in hers, interlacing their fingers, and turned and began to pull him with her, back into the thick of the festival. They spent hours together that day, watching the entertainers, sharing sweets. Syaoran showed her all his most favourite places on the town, and she told him of the secret places in the Order Temple. They shared stories and laughter, and throughout it all neither separated their hands.

Sakura's mentor found them together that evening and when she saw their joined hands she knelt before Sakura an said. "You must refrain from doing such things as this." And she gently broke their hold on each other. "A Priestess cannot form bonds with a man, it is against the code."

Sakura tilted her head, confused. "Why?" she asked.

Her mentor gave her a sorrowful look. "Should a Priestess fall in love, her magic would leave her, and she would no longer be able to fulfil her duties to the land of Clow. So say your goodbyes and then put this notion behind you."

Sakura made her farewells to Syaoran, and he to her. The following morning they were leaving the town, but though she knew she shouldn't she hoped that she could see Syaoran again someday.

Two years passed, and on their way back to the Order Temple they stopped once again in that little town, but though she had hoped to see him again, Syaoran was nowhere to be found. She was saddened by this, but her mind soon became occupied. They returned to the Temple quickly, and she became so caught up in the rituals or ordainment that she had no time to think on the little boy she had met so long ago. Months flew past her, and the day of Ordainment was upon her, and she took her place among the other Priestess's.

It was a wonderful day.

But yet there seemed to be something missing from it.

When she reached her thirteenth year she was sent out once again to visit the towns of Clow, this time alone. This would be how she would travel until it became her turn to be a mentor. She set out, determined that she would make the order proud of her. Her first stop was again that town, but once again Syaoran was not there. She left after spending a number of days tending to the ill or injured, but disaster struck when she was two days walk from the town.

Sand traps were uncommon, but not unheard of in the desert between towns, many Priestess's had lost their lives to them throughout history, and it appeared that Sakura would be the next. She called for aid, but knew there was little hope of there being another traveller in the area. It was a slow way to die, she had heard stories of how people stuck in a sand trap could die from starvation before they got anywhere close to suffocating.

"Priestess!"

Her head whipped round in the direction of the voice and her eyes widened when she saw that boy from three years ago. "Syaoran..." she said, dumbfounded.

"Priestess, grab the rope and I'll pull you out!" he called to her, and tossed the end of a rope towards her. She caught it and held tightly as he pulled her from the sand trap. When she was on solid ground once more she turned to him in astonishment, he had grown, he was now taller than she, weather-beaten and strong. She could not help herself and had to ask where he had been al these years, telling him of her visits to his town.

Syaoran told her that his father was a trader of antique objects, and he had spent many years in another country. He admitted that he had been in town upon her last visit, but, remembering the words of her mentor he had decided that he could not see her, for fear that he would somehow cause the loss of her magic, of which she was so proud. However he had promised himself that he would follow her and protect her when he had seen that she was travelling alone.

They travelled together after that, despite Syaoran's misgivings over it, and despite the distance he tried to create between them, Sakura would have none of it. Though she had been told many times in the intervening years about Love, and how a Priestess should not feel nor give love of any kind to anyone, she had no true concept of it, and so it did not matter to her quite so much as it did Syaoran this thing between them. He made her feel complete and happy. As they travelled their hands were often entwined, their fingers locked.

It was Syaoran who realised he loved Sakura first, since the day he had met her there had been a feeling between them, one he had suppressed since he had heard the Priestess's words, since she had separated them all those years ago. He was afraid at first of this feeling, unsure if he should keep it hidden, or forget about it... Priestess's could not love, it was forbidden... But that did not, he eventually decided, mean that he could not love her. So he did, secretly, his heart aching with every smiled, every look; and he wished, selfishly, that maybe she could love him in return.

It took Sakura longer to realise her own feelings; it was not until she was tending an elderly woman in a town far to the south of the land, months after she and Syaoran began to travel together. The woman said, in a sad smiling way. "That boy thinks the world of you my dear."

Sakura had looked up surprised, glancing towards the door of the house where Syaoran stood waiting patiently for her. "What do you mean?" she asked the woman.

The woman chuckled. "Thinks the world of you like how my husband thought the world of me. It's a rare thing that sort of devotion. You should take care never to let it go."

Those words followed Sakura for the next few days, and she found herself watching Syaoran more closely than ever, and then one evening just as he was handing her a plate of food it struck her like a thunderbolt. She stared dumbly at him for so long he began to call her name worriedly. Then her face broke into the biggest, brightest smile she had ever smiled.

"I love you." She said simply.

Syaoran stared at her wide eyed, fearful, expecting some spectral hand to raise from the ground and snatch her away for uttering those words.

"And you love me." She continued, her eyes glittering in happiness.

When still nothing startling or frightening happened, and she was still there, smiling joyously at him, Syaoran nodded, and suddenly there was a weight lifted from him, though a small amount of unease remained. The following months passed much like those previous, Sakura could still use her magic despite feeling love, and the two continued to link hands, though now there was a warmth between them that had been masked before. The talked at length about what they were going to do when Sakura had to return to the Temple, Sakura told him that she needed to inform the High Priestess that the teaching against love was wrong, that the magic did not just disappear. Syaoran was uneasy with this, but agreed for Sakura's sake, and her bond with her sister Priestess's.

They returned to the Temple and sought an audience with the High Priestess. When they were admitting into her presence and Sakura told her tale, and what she had learned of love, and the misconception taught by the older Priestess's, the High Priestess grew furious, and gathering a great magic she cursed them.

"You to be deaf," she told Sakura, "So that you may no longer be swayed by the sweet tongue of this boy. And you," she said, shooting a venomous look at Syaoran, "to be blind, so as never to see her again. May you rot in darkness forever." She spat at him.

He gathered Sakura to him, and did his best to protect her from the magical wind that sprang up around them, their hands clasped tightly together between them, his free arm pulling her close to his chest, hers gripping his shirt.

"I banish you!" The High Priestess intoned above the whirling screaming magic. "I banish you to live out your lives in misery for this folly!"

__

Hope you enjoyed!


	8. The Boy who could not Protect

It was to swirling blackness that Syaoran woke, his body pained. It was as if he had been flung, like a doll in the hands of an angry child. He was no longer in the temple, this much he knew, instead he was outside. He lay still, staring sightlessly up to where the sky should be. It took some time for him to realise that he no longer held Sakura in his arms. He panicked. In a way he probably should have when he realised he could not see.

"Sakura!" he called frantically. "Priestess?"

Then it struck him that just as he could not see, Sakura could not hear.

He searched the area he was in tentively, his movements hesitant as he was quickly disorientated. The blackness in his vision continued to swirl, leaving him dizzy and uncoordinated. He did not try to stand, but crawled about, hoping with all his heart that Sakura was near. He almost missed her, his hand ghosting over the fabric of her robe, about to turn away and continue searching elsewhere, but then she moved, just a little and in an instant he gathered her up into his arms, one hand tracing her features, cursing his blindness that did not allow him to se if she was hurt.

"I am sorry Priestess..." he whispered. "I am so very sorry." He shut his sightless eyes to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill forth. It was his fault. His selfish wish had brought them to this. He did not know how long he knelt there, cradling Sakura in his arms, but he was startled by a sudden, feather touch, and the words.

"Why are you crying?"

His eyes flew open, and light stabbed into his eyes, but when it faded, he realised in wonderment that he could see. How he did not know, but he was so overjoyed that he hugged Sakura close.

"Syaoran?" she asked, confused.

"We're all right." He told her, and saw it on her face when she realised that she could hear.

It was by now so natural for them to continue to hold hands that neither realised that the curse the High Priestess bestowed upon them was still in effect. They explored their new surroundings. They were in a land, they found, far different to Clow. Grass spread out before them as far as the eye could see. It was further even that Syaoran had travelled, for he had never seen such a place as this.

They passed the first day of their banishment in joyful thanks to have been spared the curse. Until that evening, when they stopped by a rolling stream. Syaoran intended to leave Sakura for a short time to gather firewood, and to search for something to eat, but as he untangled his fingers from hers and separated he was plunged back into a world of darkness, and he stumbled, she could hear Sakura calling to him, confused and afraid, and she touched him.

Once again he could see.

Their shock was great, and neither could thing of a single thing to say to explain this. Sakura held his hand in a crushing grip. They did not dare part again that night, and stayed awake until the early hours of the morning, silent and wondering.

After this things became difficult. They could not touch each other at all times, but it was dangerous for either of them alone, Sakura would not be able to hear danger coming, and Syaoran would be unable to see it. He fretted constantly when he could not see her, worried that something would happen that he would not be able to prevent. He had promised to protect her, but blind he could not.

They travelled for days, undecided as to where they should go, if it would be safe to enter the towns. They speculated together about what the people of this place must be like. Syaoran did all that he could to keep her distracted from their predicament, all the while blaming himself completely for it. He hid these thoughts from her, she had been burdened enough because of him, and he had no desire to worry her more.

They did not speak of Clow, or of the curse, though it was a constant nagging thought in both their minds, and as time continued to pass for them, they grew somewhat accustomed to living in this way. Syaoran quickly learnt the limitations of what he could do, and they worried him further, his thoughts were plagued with visions of danger and being unable to protect Sakura.

Unbeknownst to him Sakura worried for him, perhaps to a greater extent than he did she. And the blame she heaped upon her shoulders was well deserved to her mind. It had been her urging that had brought them before the High Priestess, her simplistic hope to change how the Order viewed love that had brought this curse upon them. But despite knowing that it was her fault, she refused to let it rule her. She could not let it rule her, because she could lose her most precious person them, and that would be a tragedy far beyond any curse bestowed.

She smiled, and she laughed. She did all she could to pull Syaoran from the sadness he was encased in now, a sadness he thought she could not see. She tried to show him that even though this curse had hurt them, and that she was at fault for it (though she knew he would never blame her); they were together, and when they were together the curse was somehow incomplete. She did not know how successful she was in this, because he would not speak of it, but sometimes, just sometimes, the sadness would lessen.

Another week passed for them in their journey and they came across a city. So different was it to the towns in Clow, that Sakura was entranced, and they entered it. The day was spent in a manner close to the one where they had first met, only instead of a festival; there was a trader market to explore. They stayed in the market until nightfall when the traders began to pack up and they made their way from the city, feeling far more at ease than they had before.

Until Sakura was ripped away from Syaoran, plunging him into darkness and her into silence.

"Priestess?" he called.

There was a coarse laugh behind him and he turned towards it, tense and worried.

"Lost something little boy?"

"Syaoran!" Sakura cried out, sounding further away than the man who had spoken before.

"Let her go!" Syaoran said.

The man laughed again. "Or you'll what boy?"

Syaoran shifted his weight a little, knowing the man was right. But he couldn't just do nothing. With no warning, he kicked out at where the voice was, hoping he had not entirely misjudged the distance or the direction. He did not make contact, but he felt a large hand grasp his ankle and pull, hard and sudden. With no way to steady himself he stumbled and fell, his leg released. He heard Sakura call his name, her voice frightened for him, but before he could rise again to his feet, he felt that large hand clamp hard down on his shoulder and the man leaned down to speak into his ear.

"Don't worry little boy, you'll get to spend a few more days with your girlie before we sell you on."

Syaoran looked blindly towards the voice. "Sell?"

The man laughed again and pulled him to his feet. "Welcome to your first night as a slave little boy. You'd best get used to it."

That was their introduction to Torren Grimnose the Slaver.

They were allowed to be together at least, the slavers did not seem to care if they chained women beside men. They were shackled to the next places along on the long chain that bound all the slaves together. There was no reassuring looks passed among the slaves, no whispered words of encouragement, no plans to escape. Every single person on the chain was resigned and down beaten.

Sakura cried that first night, her head buried into Syaoran's chest; she cried every night of their captivity, her heart aching for all those who had lost hope. Syaoran held her, determined to stay strong, to somehow find a way for them to escape, but as the days dragged on, and as Torren Grimnose's eye began to wander more frequently over Sakura, Syaoran felt his determination weaken, and despair began to seep into his thoughts.

If he could not stop their capture by slavers, how could he hope to protect her while chained and enslaved? His heart grew heavier with each passing day.

What good was he to her if he could not protect her?

_Ok, to clarify for those I have confused by suddenly shifting tracks midway through the story. Why have I suddenly started telling you Syaoran and Sakura's story? Well, their story is an important part of the overall story, and as to why I've written it like I have... well, I have no excuses for that. I just hope that you can forgive the slight jarring nature of these two chapters and understand that it will all make sense in the future._

_Now, as for this particular chapter... I tried not to go down the route of super angst, but I'm afraid that's what happened. Their curse is very complicated to write, and I'm afraid that I've either explained it too much, or not enough. Syaoran refused to behave correctly for me when I was writing him and started to become emo-kidz-r-us, so I apologise for that. Again... please point out glaring errors and I shall do my best to try and fix them when I have time._


	9. The Stirring of Hope

Fai had woken, as Sakura had predicted, the following day; and as he lay, drifting in an out of lightly fevered dreams, Mokona told him all she had learnt about Syaoran and Sakura. It took many days as he was never awake for long, but when he was, he always listened attentively. At night he was dropped off with the two, but the sudden jostling pain that came with being dropped to the ground, and the soothing feeling of Sakura's magic healing him a little more each night, often left him in a lethargic doze, unable to do much more than watch them as they huddled together, speaking in hushed tones.

It was while he lay quiet, watching them, that he learnt all that they were not saying.

Four days had passed since he had escaped the Labyrinth, which meant that over half his time was already gone, and he had no idea where they were going. Mokona assured him that they were going in the right direction, and he accepted this. He just hoped that he could come up with some sort of plan for getting away from the slavers should they suddenly stop going in the right direction. And to be perfectly honest he would rather not be sold as a slave.

"They are both so sad." Mokona whispered to him on the fifth night.

"Hmm." Fai agreed softly.

"There's nothing I can do." Mokona told him. "They have what they desire most... Mokona can't help them. But they are so sad!" she lamented.

Fai's eyes raked over the two consideringly, and putting together all that he had observed and all the Mokona had told him, he smiled. "Well then, perhaps we should remedy that." He told her. Less tired tonight, and the pain that still plagued his arm at a much more manageable level today, Sakura had told him he would be fully healed in another week at most; he pushed himself up off the ground and arranged himself cross-legged. His sudden movement garnered the attention of the two in front of him and he smiled disarmingly at them.

"Fai... sir?" Sakura said, hesitating over how to address him.

Fai waved his uninjured hand at her. "Fai is fine. I'm afraid we have not been properly introduced, though I have learnt much of your past from Mokona these past few days."

Sakura blushed, and Syaoran cast a quick look from Mokona to Fai, unsure whether to be angry, or relieved that at least they did not have to go through the trouble of explaining their situation. Finally he settled on relieved, after all, Fai did not seem to be dangerous.

"I am Sakura, a Priestess of the Healing Order of Clow." Sakura introduced herself.

"I am Syaoran." Syaoran added quietly.

Fai smiled. "And I am Fai. There, now we all know each other." He studied the carefully, before speaking again. He needed to say this just right or it may end up backfiring and making them possibly even further sad. This, Fai supposed, was going to be one of the many instances when his time alone in the tower put him at a distinct disadvantage.

"Are you so sure it's a curse?"

Syaoran and Sakura startled in surprise. "What?" Sakura asked at the same time Syaoran said. "Of course!"

Fai laughed lightly and held up his hands plcatingly. "I mean no harm in asking. I had just thought that maybe you were looking at it the wrong way."

Syaoran looked at him mistrust plain on his face. "How could we take it the wrong way?"

"Well, while I agree that is a rather cruel thing to do, and most certainly not something either of you deserved; maybe it serves a higher purpose." Fai explained.

"Higher purpose?" Sakura asked with a confused frown.

Fai nodded. "From what I understand a Priestess in your country is not allowed to fall in love because it will lead to a loss of her magic." He waited for their nods before continuing. "Well, what if it was not so much the act of falling and being in love that was the problem?"

"How so?" Syaoran asked.

"What if the problem came from falling out of love? What if the loss of magic was more directly related to the loss of love, say being rejected, or a partner dying or something along those lines."

"To avoid that the Priestess's would..." Syaoran's eyes widened as he got what Fai was trying to tell him. "But what would that have to do with us and the curse?"

Fai smiling winningly. "How can you be so sure it's a curse? What if all this is a test?"

"A test?" Sakura asked tentively.

"Yes, a test. By placing the two of you far from your homeland, and robbing you of your senses like this forces you to become dependent upon each other. Have you ever considered that maybe the reason you regain the senses this High Priestess took from you when you touch, is because you are fulfilling some part of the test?" Fai asked, pleased when he saw that Syaoran was seriously considering his words, Sakura remained looking a little dumbfounded by the idea, but there was a slow growing resolve in her eyes now that had not been there before.

"So what your saying is that so long as we stay together, and prove that this curse can't affect how we feel about each other we will pass the test and it will be lifted?" Syaoran asked, still doubtful, but there was an edge of hope there now.

Fai smiled. "Why not? The thing I've learnt about curses is that oftentimes they're just used to test someone. So the trick is not to look on it as a curse, but as a test. One that you will pass."

Syaoran nodded considering. "How do you know we will pass?" he asked, no real intent or import behind the words, merely curiosity to find out why this man believed so firmly in something and someone, like this.

"Because you have each other." Fai told him simply. "Mokona tells me that you already have what you desire the most, and I trust her judgement. And from watching you these past few nights it is clear to see that the two of you were made for each other. So there is simply no other option, you will pass this test and go on to live happily ever after."

"How is it that you know so much?" Sakura asked in wonder, pleased to see that the sadness that shrouded Syaoran had lifted a little.

Fai shrugged. "I read." He answered truthfully.

The conversation after that shifted to tales of heroes and adventures as Fai recounted all the stories he had read that dealt with curses, making sure that in each retelling to emphasise that the hero overcame the curse. He could easily see the hero in Syaoran, and though Sakura obviously could see it, Syaoran himself had lost confidence; which happened in the stories too, sometimes, and Fai as only too happy t take the role of the sage advisor who would put him on the right path again.

Syaoran and Sakura grew tired quickly, having been walking all day, and fell asleep in a tangle of limbs midway through a story. Fai watched them for a long time with lonely eyes before laying down himself and looking at the night sky.

"That was a nice thing Fai did for them." Mokona said.

Fai glanced at her as she made herself comfortable in the crook of his arm. "How so?" he asked.

"Giving them hope like that." Mokona clarified.

"Oh." Fai looked back up. "That wasn't what I was aiming for exactly." He said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I wasn't just telling them that to get their hopes up. I told them that because the key to beating curses is believing that you can beat them. Syaoran was beginning to believe that he was not good enough for Sakura, and he couldn't see how much she needed him and not someone else. People are made to be together I think, and if you stop believing that you are that one person for someone else then you'll never have your happy ending."

Mokona nodded, she knew all about souls and their matches. Her very purpose was to guide people to the match of their souls, to their hearts desire. "Who do you think your someone is?" she asked suddenly, ears twitching, curious.

Fai let out a feathery laugh. "My someone? I don't think I have a someone."

Mokona twitched and hopped from her place in the crook of his arm to his chest and leaned over his face, blocking his view of the stars. "Everyone has a someone." She told him.

Fai smiled and reached up to stroke her ears. "No, not everyone has a someone. Some people just aren't lucky enough."

Mokona's face twisted and she wanted to shout, to hop furiously and make him listen to himself. But she didn't, she returned to her place at his arm and sighed. She wondered how someone who could give such hope to others could possibly have none of his own. Well, she would prove him wrong. There was a someone for everyone, and everyday brought them closer to Fai's.

She slept.

Fai stayed awake, looking at the stars. "Everyone has a someone?" he breathed, his smile fragile. Now why was that so hard for him to believe?

_Ok, that ended on a slightly more bitter and sad note than I had thought it would, but hey, I think it worked. At any rate, I hope this made sense, I've been fretting over this since I finished it but I just can't be sure if I've done it right. Ah well, I'm sure you won't be shy in letting me know if there is something wrong with it. Beyond that I'm not too sure what to say about this chapter, hopefully the sakura/syaoran back flash chapters make slightly more sense in the grand scheme of things._

_I'm afraid to say that there may not be any updates until the weekend. Real life has come crashing down this week, so I think I will end up being very busy until Saturday, but rest assured that I will update!_


	10. The Slave Market

The following evening they entered a city, marched through the streets while the residents looked on impassively. They were taken to a large warehouse, a place where many other slaves were also kept. Large cages lined the walls, each one set aside for each group of slaves. When they were all safely locked up in one of the large cells Torren Grimnose addressed them with a smile.

"Tomorrow might well be your last day with us. It's our first stop on the road, and I'm sure I'll be able to find you some nice new owners." He laughed then and left them.

There was crying that night, and a lot of it. It was as if the last dregs of resistance and hope bled from those around them, leaving nothing but despair in its place. They had been in the dubious care of the slavers for far longer than Syaoran, Sakura and Fai, but even though they had been resigned to their fates before, it was nothing compared to the utter hopelessness that hung over them now.

Everyone wanted to be saved.

Fai understood that better than anyone.

They did not speak that night, it felt wrong offer reassurances, or to tell stories. Syaoran and Sakura huddled together at the back of the cage, he holding her close, his eyes unfocused as he tried to think of a what out of this situation, she watching the other slaves, her heart aching for them, that they had no one to offer them comfort as Syaoran did for her. Fai allowed his thoughts to wander backwards and to the tower, and he decided that it was far better to be here. At least here there was a much better chance of escaping at a later date.

He was the hero of his own story now. Though he was without a princess, or suitable maiden to save; but that would come with time he was sure. He was the Hero, the brave knight, the quick witted saviour. Because Hero's did not need rescuing, they could save themselves, and Fai had waited for far to long for someone to save him.

Morning came quickly.

The slavers arrived early, before the sun was fully over the horizon, opening the gate to the cage and striding inside. Men on a mission it seemed. Torren Grimnose stood outside as he men walked up to various slaves, mostly women, and had them stand up. Torren Grimnose would either shake his head or nod; when he nodded, the slaves were unshackled and taken from the cage. Fai was one of the few men who were pulled to his feet, and the only one who got the nod. When he was unshackled, he managed to pull away from the slavers for just long enough to press Mokona into Sakura's arms and whispered. "Take care of her." And he smiled as the slavers pulled him out of the cage.

He and the four women who had been chosen were shackled to another chain and led from the holding area. Fai limping a little as he pushed himself to keep up with the quick walk from the warehouse to a smaller building a number of streets away. Once inside the building he was unshackled and placed in an individual cage, there were other cages, some already filled with slaves from other slavers, some waiting for new residents. Fai noticed that each person here was striking in some way; be it their looks, their bodies, unusual eye or hair colour, each person stood out from the others.

"Count yourself lucky boy." Torren Grimnose grinned. "This is the private auction. Only the richest people buy from here." He chuckled suddenly, as if amused by something. "Or maybe you should count yourself unlucky; after all the rich buy for reasons other than labour."

Fai shuddered a little at what was implied, and found himself shrinking back into the cage before he could stop himself.

Torren Grimnose laughed. "Now smile and look pretty, boy. You're going to make me a tidy fortune today." Then the man turned and left the building, laughing cruelly all the way out. Fai sat still for a long time after that and considered his options nervously, unhappy when he realised they were far fewer than he would have liked.

Kurogane was a man on a mission, one of great import, as issued by the exalted Dream-seer herself. To be entirely honest this was not the type of mission one such as himself should be carrying out, and he had tried to say as much to the Dream-seer at the time, but she would have none of his excuses. Excuses she called them! Perfectly reasonable points that calmly and justifiably explained why he should not be sent to do this, and she called them excuses! Well, that would be the last time he tried to do anything 'reasonably' ever again.

Kurogane was, you see, a knight; one trained from youth to protect the Dream-seer, a rare and much coveted position in the land of Nihon, and one he sometimes wished he could give up, what with all the grief he took on a daily basis about the way in which he protected the current Dream-seer. And now he was reduced to a messenger boy, sent to pick up 'Something very important Kurogane, for yourself as well as for me'. If it were not for the fact that he was so damn loyal, and so bound by his own honour he would have left her ridicules and manipulative service years ago.

He strode purposefully through the street of Shimada, intending to get this chore finished with as soon as possible so that he could return to his real duties. It was early still, so instead of going into the auction square, where, later in the day, the slavers would model their newest slaves to their buyers, he went straight to the warehouses.

He knew of this area well, he had narrowly avoided a fate similar as a child when he parents had been killed. Had it not been for the Dream-seer Knights taking him in, he could well have become one of the ragged souls in the fields around the city. He did not like this place, and he did not like the practice of slavery; but there was little he could do, the King was not opposed to the trade, and the Dream-seer held only so much power in the land.

He entered the slave warehouse, ignoring the sudden flocking of slavers around him. He knew that when a man came to the warehouse instead of the auction Slavers knew they would get more money from them. This was the reason e had chosen to come now and not later, he had a much better chance of picking up the ones the Dream-seer wanted now. He made the round of the cages, inspecting the downtrodden people in each one, hardening his heart at the sight of them. He did not have enough money to free all of them, and there was no other way to save them from their fates without being arrested.

At long last he spotted the two the Dream-seer had sent him to get. The slimly little maggot of a man who had brought these slaves in could obviously smell a sale and sidled up beside him. "Seen something you like sir?" he asked.

Kurogane pointed at the two at the back of the cage, a boy and girl, huddled together, slightly removed from the rest of the slaves in the cage. "Them." He said, just s that there would be no misunderstanding.

The slaver made a small surprised noise, and Kurogane looked at him, eyes narrowed. The man was going to try and come up with a reason to keep the girl, it was written plainly on his face. It disgusted Kurogane to see a man such as this lusting over a child.

"8000 gold for the both of them, cash in hand, upfront." Kurogane said before the slaver could speak.

"8000..." the slaver squeaked.

Kurogane eyes him evenly. "You think you can make more at the auction?" he asked, knowing the answer was no. The most he would get for the boy at auction would be 2000, at the very best, and 8000 gold was impossible to turn down for a man such as this, no matter how much lust he had for the girl.

The deal was struck quickly, money changed hands and Kurogane waited in undisguised impatience for the slaver to retrieve the two children from the cage. The two were silent, hands clasped tightly; as if afraid he would rip them apart. He took the key to their shackles and gripped the end of the short chain they were bound too, knowing better than to free them here. He did not acknowledge them or the slavers as he left the warehouse. Waiting until they were out of the city and on the road to the Dream-seer.

The boy looked at him in confused suspicion when he removed their shackles outside of the city, but Kurogane ignored it, they boy had reason to e suspicious after all. "My name is Kurogane, Knight Protector to the Dream-seer. She has request I bring you before her."

The children looked at him, the girl hugging some stuffed toy to her chest as she regarded him carefully.

"I am Sakura, Priestess of the Healing order of Clow." She said.

"Priestess!" the boy hissed, worried.

"It's ok Syaoran, he doesn't seem like any of the slavers, and he's telling the truth." She said, and Kurogane was surprised to see the by relax a little and nod, taking her word for it.

"Well, great, now we've decided I'm not lying let's get moving." He said, turning to continue walking down the road.

"What about Fai!"

That was a new voice; he turned back and blinked in surprise to see the stuffed to the girl had been holding bouncing on the path, waving short stubby arms frantically. "What is that?" he found himself asking.

The stuffed toy turned to him and stopped bouncing and said officiously. "Mokona is Mokona, and we have to go get Fai!"

Kurogane shook his head, more in resigned disbelief that the stuffed toy was talking than anything else. He had known today was going to be a strange one; it was just his luck. "I don't know who this 'Fai' is, but they're going to have to wait until after we see the Dream-seer."

"But Fai might be lost by then!" Mokona cried.

Kurogane sighed. "He wasn't in the cell with you was he?" he asked.

"No Sir Kurogane, he was taken out very early this morning." Sakura said.

Kurogane nodded, he had expected as much. "In that case he's probably been sold already. You won't find him. Your best bet would be to ask the Dream-seer." He said, which was true, and if it got them to come with him to see the woman already, he was happy to use it to his advantage.

"Can't you sense him Mokona?" Syaoran asked suddenly.

Mokona shook her head sadly. "Mokona can only sense the hearts desires, and no one here wants to find him with all their heart..." she trailed off tearfully. Sakura lifted her gently and tried to sooth her, feeling guilty, though she knew, realistically there was no reason to feel that way.

"Then we'll ask the Dream-seer." Syaoran said.

Kurogane bit back a sound of annoyance and waited impatiently for them to make up their minds, glad when they finally made a move to follow him. As they made their way down the long road to the Dream-seer's Temple, he was surprised to find himself wondering who this Fai was, and why the children and the stuffed toy were so fired up to get him back.

_Well... I got distracted... I traded in some old games I don't play often for Star ocean, and the characters of the game just gripped me, you know... Especially Faize and Lymle, who in a twisted sort of a fashion, reminded me of Fai and Kurogane... I never claimed it made sense! But because of that I have been completely unable to put my 'Fairytale' head on. I wrote this in dribs and drabs in-between playing Star Ocean (I swear I can barely put the controller down I want to reach the end so bad), so if it's a little jumpy and less like my other chapters I apologise, I did try, but like I said, distracted..._

_Fai in this became a little delusional I think... Hero? Him? I'm sorry, but as much as I love Fai, and I love him very, very much, He is definitely not a hero. As strong as he wants to be, or pretends to be, he needs to be saved, he jut has that vibe you know? And Kurogane puts in an appearance at long last! Ten whole chapters and 30 pages it took me to get him in there! Well, at any rate, no more babbling from me! I hope you enjoyed enough to want to review!_


	11. The DreamSeer

It took a day to reach the Dream-seer's temple. Kurogane had always felt it had been built in the most indefensible location in the entire land of Nihon, open to attack from land, and by water as it was situated right beside a large river that was deep enough and wide enough to take all but the largest of sailing vessels, and there was even a pier welcoming marauders into the Temple.

The Dream-seer kept telling him that it was only right that the temple be located by many of the lands thoroughfares, that way no one felt that they could not enter an seek council with her. Kurogane was not afraid to tell her she was being naive, but nothing he ever said would make her realise how foolish it was to remain in such an open place, he had grudgingly accepted that, but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it.

Journeying with the children had not been as harrowing as he had thought it would be; they were quiet and self-sufficient, nothing like the irritating ones that came to the temple in the company of their parents. They kept close to each, never letting go of the others hands, even when they had stopped to rest. If he found it odd, he did not mention it, after all, it wasn't his business to know about them, it was his business to get them safely to the Dream-seer, then he could go back to doing his duty.

He kept his questions to himself when he heard them quietly discuss the fate of this 'Fai', though the Toy talked loud enough that he ended up hearing some of the answers to his curiosity, and though he was sure the stuffed toy was exaggerating, he found himself a little impressed by what must have been some show of skill in this 'Mine of Traps' it talked about. The general consensus as the day wore on was that Fai could look after himself, and would probably be free by the time they got to the Dream-seer. Kurogane stopped himself from mentioning that freeing yourself from a slaver was far more difficult than they thought, and slaves caught trying to escape usually ended up losing bits and pieces of themselves in punishment.

He had once seen a slave owner slice off a slave's ear just because the poor girl hadn't heard him calling her in a crowded marketplace. Slave owners were barbaric creatures; to be honest he gave this Fai no chance of escaping, and little chance of being found completely intact. In fact, the odds of him being found at all were rather slim. Slave buyers came from all over, very few slaves sold at these markets were ever set to work in that city or town.

It was a sad fact of life here, and he was sure these kids would soon give up looking for him, after all, it was a hopeless endeavour. All he could hope was that when they did give up and leave, they would take the stuffed toy with them, because if he knew the Dream-seer, and he did, she would be smitten with the little creature and he would probably be made to look after it.

The Dream-seer was waiting outside the Temple, the other Knight Protector stationed by the door, and Kurogane growled to himself when he saw that the other knight had not even put a hand on his weapon. If he were coming to attack the Dream-seer that knight would be no use at all.

"Lady Tomoyo." He said, bowing.

Lady Tomoyo's eyes swept the group and she frowned. "Where is the other?"

Kurogane looked up at her, scowling. "What other? You wanted these two, I got them."

Lady Tomoyo turned a scolding look on him. "I told you that you were to get those important to you as well as those important to myself. Do you ever listen to me?" she asked, clearly exasperated.

"You told me to pick up these two. You gave me descriptions of them, you never mentioned anyone else!" he pointed out, reasonably he felt.

"You should have known him simply by seeing him." She said, her frown growing deeper, she turned her attention to Syaoran and Sakura. "He was with you was he not. Tall, blond haired, blue eyed, a Hope Giver?"

"Fai!" Mokona cried out.

Lady Tomoyo nodded. "Is that his name?" when they nodded to her, she looked back at Kurogane. "How could you leave the poor man there?" she asked.

Kurogane sighed, still scowling. "There were a lot of poor men there, and poor women too. This Fai of theirs wasn't with them; he was either already sold or put in special auction."

Lady Tomoyo fretted for a moment, clearly disturbed by this news. "This was not how I had dreamed it." She said unhappily, which caught Kurogane's attention sharply; things rarely changed from the way Lady Tomoyo dreamed them, only a great deal of interference could do so, and the only interference that could do that was of the dark kind. She sighed and looked at Kurogane. "You must find him."

"Lady?" he asked.

"I know this is much to ask of you Kurogane, I know. However, you must find him. A great deal depends upon him." She said. "Please."

He was silent, weighing his options. Then he nodded, affecting another bow to her. "As you wish Dream-seer." He said, turning on his heel and striding back down the road, which was growing dark as evening drew in. He was followed by the bouncing stuffed toy, and despite telling it to get back with the children it refused, and settled itself comfortably in the neck of his cloak, an insignificant, but irritating weight on his shoulder.

"Mokona will help you find Fai!" she chirped at him.

He huffed but continued on without further argument.

Lady Tomoyo looked after his retreating figure, and sent up a silent prayer that he would find Fai, after all, he was not just important because of what he held; he was important because of who he was... for Kurogane at any rate. She was sorry she could not tell her faithful knight why this was, but to do so would make the path harder to tread, and the path was already filled with enough dangers. She turned her attention to the two who remained.

"Please, enter the temple, I will have some food and drinks served to us while we speak." She smiled, ushering them inside.

When they were settled in Lady Tomoyo's private meeting room, that overlooked her small garden and the table between them was spread with the food she had asked for she spoke to them. "I know all about the curse bestowed upon you. I saw it in a dream, just as I saw where I needed to send Kurogane to find you." She said, smiling at their twin looks of surprise, but there was a twinge of sadness in that smile that was missed by her two guests. "There is much I need to ask you however."

"Then ask, we have nothing to hide that you do not already seem to know." Syaoran said, Sakura nodded her agreement.

"I am sure that you do not." She said, smiling kindly. "Would you tell me of the place you came from, and if how the curse was passed onto you. I am afraid that my dreams did not show me anything from before you awoke in these lands. The Kingdom you come from is a great deal further from us than my power senses." She told them.

Between them, they told her their tale, and she nodded as they did.

"You need to go to the Wishing Witch." Lady Tomoyo told them when they had finished, her voice laced with a sigh. She was unhappy, very, very unhappy, but there was nothing more she could do for them now than send them to the Witch.

Syaoran frowned. "Why would we need to go to a witch?"

"She will be able to help you recover what it is you have lost." Lady Tomoyo told them.

"She can lift the curse?" Sakura asked.

Lady Tomoyo looked to the side, considering her answer. "Yes, she can lift the curse. But it is not the curse you need be worried about."

"What else is there?" Syaoran asked her, becoming worried.

"The Wishing Witch will know." Lady Tomoyo said, with finality. "Now, I am sure you will want to rest; Kurogane will not return with your friend for some time, so please, make yourselves comfortable in the temple; and do not hesitate to ask any of the knights, or servants for anything you may require during your stay."

They said their goodnights and left the Dream-seer alone. Lady Tomoyo looked out over her small, peaceful garden and sighed, a heavy, foreboding sigh. There was so much they did not know; so much, they could not know. She closed her eyes and thought. She had hoped that it would not be as bad as this, she had hoped that the last time...

Well, there was no point in fixating on the past, after all, it was the future that was important, and as long as she pushed them in the right way, then the future would come together in a much clearer light. But even so, it pained her to think that they knew not who and what they truly were.

Turning her face upwards, to the stars, she opened her eyes. "Yuuko, I pray that you can help them find peace." She said softly.

_Yet again, I have managed to separate Fai from everyone else and have taken the story away from him... I'm not doing it on purpose honest, it's just the way the story is flowing at the moment. He will make a return... next chapter I think, but I promise I wouldn't be doing this unless there was a really good reason (God I hope I have a really good reason!). As to how Kurogane behaves in this (and the last) chapter, well, I'm going to say it's because he hasn't met Fai yet, and as far as I'm concerned, in the anime and ova's it's Fai who gets under his skin, Mokona just sort of annoys him by default because she always copies Fai. So when they eventually meet Kurogane should be more like he is in the original. _

_Were you paying attention to the Tomoyo Sakura, Syaoran scene? It was horrible and difficult to write, and is the worst part ever, but it is important! If it doesn't read well let me know, I've spent hours on this chapter (after I got frustrated with Star Ocean and had to turn it off), but it still refuses to write itself properly. But if you let me know, where it seems to be going wrong I may be able to fix it._

_At any rate, I hope you enjoyed._


	12. The Bird Man

_Ok, fair warning before we begin; I've been very naughty and have changed one of the character alignments from bad to good (well, sort of), and I have paired said person with another person who they would probably never have been within the original. But while writing this it just sort of slipped out, so I must ask you to please just accept it as it goes along and no complaints about it. I think it worked out anyway._

His experience at the private auction had not been as vulgar and harrowing as his overactive imagination had tried to convince him it would be. In fact the entire this was done in what could only be described as a tasteful. He and the other slaves were viewed by the rich and the elite, questions were asked of the slavers as to their origins, and any outcry the slave made was ignored. There was no threats, no beatings, and somehow being ignored cowed those slaves who spoke out much more efficiently.

He had garnered attention from many of the wealthy women, most of whom were merely looking for an attractive man to have on hand for serving at tea parties and such; their husbands were often with them and would handle all the questions, Fai noticed. A few of the women were unaccompanied, but these women were the ones who had designs upon his person (not that he was naive enough to believe the women with husbands did not have similar designs upon him), and were very obvious about their intentions. One he was sure was the owner of a successful brothel in the city from what he pieced together of her conversation and he did not like the direction hr questions had been leading.

However he was not bought by any of these women and to be honest his initial impression of the man who had put in the highest bid for him had not been favourable. His imagination had immediately seized hold of him and had whooshed him away into the darkest part of his mind and made suggestions as to just what the man would buy him for. It had done something similar every time one of the women had come close to buying him, but now that he was actually sold, and money had changed hands they became decidedly darker and much more frightening.

He had been sold four hours into the auction, taken in chains to a shop that specialised in Slave equipment, and had a collar riveted around his neck, a circle of metal around his left wrist and one around his left ankle.

"The collar is so that everyone knows you are a slave, so even if you do manage to escape you will be returned." The man who bought him told him indifferently, explaining now just to get it out of the way. "The wrist will be used simply as a lead should I feel the need, and the one about your ankle is so I know exactly where you are when I want you." As explanations went it only made Fai want to question him further, but he managed to hold his tongue.

The chains of the slavers were removed, and a single lead chain was snapped onto the wrist cuff and he was led back to his new masters house. The man led him inside dispassionately, unhooking the chain after he locked the door.

"I know what slavers tell slaves to get them to behave at these auctions. But put your mind at ease now, I have no intentions towards you in any way. You will be here to do what I say when I say it, go against me and you will be punished, try to escape and it will not be I who shows you the error of your ways, it will be the towns guard and you will be returned to me. If you value your hands, or any other parts of your body you would do well to remain here. If you work hard and please me I may find some kindness and give you your freedom, but even then it would not be for many years." The man told him.

Fai didn't know if he expected an answer, and when he didn't give one the man simply shrugged and turned away, beckoning Fai to follow him. He did so, never once even thinking that while the mans back was turned to him he could knock him out and make a run for it. It simply did not occur to him at all. He was taken to the kitchen and set to work.

He had been tempted to point out that he actually new nothing about cooking, but by the time he had thought about it the man was gone. Such trust the man had in him. Fai shook his head, he didn't think that if he had just bought a new slave he would leave him alone when preparing the meal, poison was easy enough to slip into food, not that doing so crossed Fai's mind, in fact the thought, when it did pop in there, disgusted him.

Only villains used poisons and trickery like that, it was a rule of all the stories he had read. The hero never resorted to that kind of thing. He spent hours in the kitchen, fawning over everything he found there and learning to work them. He tried to recreate one of the meals Chi had often served him, it took three attempts before it looked anything like what he had received, and even then, when he tasted it, it was so terrible that he had to start over. When it finally came the time to serve the food he had remade the meal and it tasted... better...

He had barely managed to contain his laugh when the man who had bought him tasted the dish and immediately pushed it aside. He had looked him over consideringly, and Fai had sincerely apologised and explained that he did not know how to cook. He was told that he had better learn, but that was all. He was surprised to say the least, weren't people who owned slaves supposed to be far more hard handed? It made him curious, that this man fell so outside what he knew.

Over the course of the evening, as he was set to cleaning an already immaculately kept house. There wasn't even enough dust for it to be considered actual work, but he did it without complaint, deciding to look at it as a chance to find out more about the man who now owned him. He was nothing like the villains of a story, which made him either a victim of something, or something of a side quest. Things never happened for no reason, it was the one thing that all his reading had taught him clearly. He was here for a reason, if he was not meant to be then he would have found some way to escape before he had been sold. So it was now his duty (as he was the hero of his own story), to find some way to help this man before continuing his own quest.

He very quickly learnt that the man had an obsession with birds, in every room of the house there was at least two pictures of birds framed and on the walls; almost all the books in his study were devoted to birds of all kinds, all around the world. In the sitting room, where the man sat in front of the fire there was a large painting that he did not take his eyes from in all the time Fai had been in the room. It did not seem different from the other paintings of birds, save that it was much larger than the others.

When he was done cleaning the man took him to a small room set off from the kitchen and attached a chain that was anchored to the floor to the cuff on his ankle and left him, shutting the door but not locking it. He tested the length and strength of it, finding it to be long enough to reach most parts of the kitchen, enough to be able to prepare breakfast in the morning, but it was sturdy and strong. He went to the small bed in the room and lay down, his mind wandering to think on Mokona, and whether she, Syaoran and Sakura were ok. Had they been separated and sold? He hoped not, but even if they had been, so long as either Syaoran and Sakura had Mokona they would be able to find each other again despite their affliction.

The following day passed in much the same way as the previous, he had managed to make an edible breakfast of toast and cheese, and took it as a success when the man did not complain. From then until lunch he read through some cookbooks he had found and managed after only five attempts to make a passable lunch, the lead up to dinner was an equal challenge, but he found himself enjoying the learning.

By the third day of this routine was had become a passable cook, and had discovered a natural talent for the baking of cakes. Every evening he was sent to clean the house, though it remained just as clean as it had been the day before, and he tended to find himself dawdling in the study looking through some of the books, or looking out the windows at the streets, his fingers curling under the collar as he wondered how long it would take to get out of here.

The man, every evening, sat in front of the fire, staring at the picture, as if it could speak to him. He looked so very, desperately lonely when he looked at it that Fai could not help the fact that his heart went out to him. That night he asked about it, unable to stop himself, and deciding that it would probably be better to find out what the problem was, that way he would know how to fix it.

"Why do you always stare at those birds?" he asked.

The man shifted in his seat, obviously unused to being questioned, but he did not reprimand him, which meant that he wasn't angry... though the man rarely said anything to him, or about the work he did, almost like he was only half living.

"Those birds are called the Falkyrie." He answered.

Fai stepped closer, curious. "What is a Falkyrie?" he asked.

The man glanced at him, as if gauging his interest before explaining further. "In legend it is said that man wished to fly so very much that he made a pact with the gods to be turned into a bird. The gods agreed and turned him into a bird. But he began to grow arrogant, claiming to be the lord of the skies, and tried to rule over all the birds in the world. Seeing this the gods bestowed a curse on the man, that whenever his feet touched the earth, be it a mountain or a hill he would return to his human form to teach him humility. Over many years he went on to father the Falkyrie, humans who can take the form of birds."

"Humans who can take the form of birds?" Fai whispered, tapping his chin in thought. Then, as it hit him his face lit up into a knowing grin. _So that's who you are and why I'm here!_ He thought to himself. "I know one of them." He said, causally.

The mans head turned so fast it looked like it was about to fly off, and his eyes narrowed at Fai, whose smile did not drop.

"If you jest I will kill you." It was said with such seriousness that Fai did not disbelieve him. He shook his head.

"No, I really do know one of them. She can turn into a bird, I saw her myself... well, technically I saw her turn from a bird into a human when she touched down to the ground, and I never did get to see her change back into one, but I'm fairly sure she was one of these Falkyrie you were talking about. Said hunters had killed all her family save her."

The man got up out of his chair. "The Falkyrie were said to have been hunted to extinction fifteen years ago." He said, his eyes firmly focused on the painting. "Where did you see this woman?" he asked.

"At Reed Castle, in the middle of the Labyrinth there." He answered truthfully.

The man looked at him them, studying him for any hint of a lie, but Fai had no reason to lie, after all, he had promised Xing Huo that he would point the one meant for her in her direction, and it was plain to see that this man was that person. The hero she didn't believe in, the one who could save her. How did he know this? It was simple. No man looked so long at a picture of something he did not care deeply for. Birds may be his obsession, but these Falkyrie were his love; he would do nothing to harm her.

That night, when he was chained up back in his little room off the kitchen, he found himself smiling. Now that he had fulfilled what he was here to do he could begin to plot his escape. He would be out of this house by the following night he thought to himself with certainty.

_Fai is beginning to fall deeper and deeper into his own stories I think. Who can guess why? It is surprisingly easy to ramble on in the chapters devoted entirely to Fai, and everything just flows so much better for me and these chapters just seem to get so much longer when I'm talking about only him. At any rate, I hope you enjoyed and will be waiting for the next instalment. At some point I will have him and Kurogane meet... Sigh... I wonder what he's been doing these past few days while Fai's been playing house?_

_By the By, who can guess who the man who bought him is? I can't belieev I wrote the whole chapter without naming him. You probably couldn't work it wout with what I wrote in the chapter anyway, but I will name him in the next chapter anyway._


	13. The Unluckiest Hero

Fai woke and began the routine he had followed every morning since he had been made a slave, but his mind was already plotting his escape, which he would put into motion when he was once again set the task of cleaning the house, that way the gloom of evening and nightfall would give him some cover, and with any luck he would be out of the city before the man who had bought him realised he was gone. So caught up in his planning was Fai, that he didn't notice that the time for breakfast came and went without any movement in the rest of the house, the man did not come downstairs to release him and get his food.

It did not strike him until nearly an hour and a half had passed.

He then spent the next hour, stretching the chain to its limit to reach the doorway to the rest of the house and tried to gain the man's attention. There was no answer to any of his calls, and the house was quiet still. Sitting at the counter by the cooker, he picked at the food he had made for the man and he wondered where the man could possibly be. As the morning crept on, and there was still no sign nor sound of the owner of the house, he began to grow worried, and as morning gave way to afternoon, he grew nervous.

Where was he?

He fretted the afternoon away, spending his time trying to remove the chain, with no luck whatsoever. It was some time after he had given up trying to get the chain off and was sitting, head resting in one hand while his other drew patterns on the countertop, going over his options, that it suddenly struck him what had happened. The man had left already; left to go to the Labyrinth to find the Falkyrie. He felt a small smile tug at his lips as he realised this; how nice it must be to have someone so determined to rescue you...

His smiled faded however as his predicament hit home with all the force of a ton of rocks falling from the sky. For the briefest of moments, he felt a crushing despair as he likened this new prison, with the chain keeping him here, to the Tower. Silently he shook those thoughts away and stood up. Well, if that was the case, and the man had indeed left on his own journey to save his fair maiden, then he would just have to work harder at escaping.

His time was almost up, another day, perhaps less, and Fei Wang Reed would begin searching for him, if he had not started already, and Fai needed to get back to Celes quickly. At the very least he had to get back there to find out why no one had ever come searching for him. As afternoon bled into evening he had exhausted all the possibilities open to him, and had begun furiously, and a little haphazardly, make grander plans of escape that he knew had no hope of success. But it was better to continue to plan than to give into the growing realisation that he might be stuck here for a very long time.

Four days.

Four days that he had spent searching this damned city for this 'Fai', with a damn toy chirping in his ear, offering advice that meant nothing to him. When he had arrived back at the city he had gone straight to the slaver he had bought Syaoran and Sakura from, and it had taken a fair amount of threatening to get any information from him. And even then, the information was practically useless.

A rich man had bought Fai.

He couldn't even tell him if the man was from this city or another, it had taken a further day of questioning as many people as he could find to be sure that the man did indeed live in the city. This was no easy feat for a man like Kurogane, who did not like the art of questioning, the way people danced around an issue with words like 'Well, I think I might know who you speak of' and 'I can't be certain but...' The indecision of these people irritated him, but he had kept himself from snapping at them or threatening them, it took a great deal of effort, but he had managed.

It had taken a further two days to find out the man's name; he was an elusive member of society it seemed. A doctor of Ornithology, whatever that meant. A strange man, who kept to himself, those he had spoken to told him, The Bird Man, they called him, clearly amused by this. It meant nothing to Kurogane, who by this point was growing so frustrated by his lack of progress, that he ignored everything they said save the man's name.

Dr. Kyle Rondart.

Then came the problem that no one seemed to know where he lived, apparently the man was a recluse, and never invited anyone to his home, it had been that way since he had moved to the city six years previous. It took a trip to the Official Housing Offices to get his address, a trip that had lasted most of the fourth day of his search. If this entire thing had been a test of patience he was sure he would have passed, and with honours. It had been a trying four days. He had been unable to keep to his usual routine sword practice in the mornings, instead setting out early to make a start in the search, and he was feeling the strain.

Sword practice was to Kurogane, what meditation was to the Dream-seer, a way to clear his mind, and bring any troubles he had to the surface and release them through the motion of the sword. Normally he would make time to go through his routine, but he had wanted to find this Fai quickly so that he could return to his duties. It did not feel right to be away from the Dream-seer for so long.

But he now had an address, so he would have this Fai within the hour and be on his way back to the temple. He did not stop to wonder what he would do should this Dr Rondart refuse to hand over the other man, he was deal with it when it came up. As long as he didn't tell the Dream-seer he had killed the man, she couldn't scold him for it.

"It looks really lonely." Mokona said suddenly as Kurogane came to a stop outside the house. Kurogane couldn't disagree, though it was ridicules to think a building could be lonely, but it gave that impression, despite being sandwiched between houses on either side.

"Hn." He huffed and went to the door, knocking on it loudly. He waited impatiently for a short time, but no one answered. He knocked again, louder, but again no one answered. With a growl, he knocked a third time. Still there was no answer.

"I don't think anyone's in..." Mokona said, sounding suspiciously like she was going to cry. Kurogane eyed her, he didn't want to deal with a crying stuffed toy, a talking one was bad enough. He reached for the door handle, giving it a firm twist, using just slightly more force than was necessary and he heard the wood crack, often this was enough to loosen the locks, so long as there were not bolts across the inside.

He was in luck however, the door, with a little more twisting of the handle, opened.

"Kurogane!" Mokona said in awe.

Kurogane shrugged. "If he's out it'll make taking this idiot of yours easier."

"Fai is not an idiot!" Mokona stated.

Kurogane scowled. "Sure he's not." He muttered, stepping inside and shutting the door over. "Make yourself useful and go look." He said, then clamped a hand down on the stuffed toys mouth. "And do it without speaking. The guy might still be here."

Mokona nodded seriously, and took off, bouncing up the stairs.

Kurogane watched it go and shook his head. Well, with any luck, he could be back at the temple by morning and he could wash his hands of this whole matter. He did not feel bad about the breaking and entering, it was not the first time he had cause to use that particular trick in his life, and it probably wouldn't be the last. And this was somewhat official Dream-seer duties, so the law would be on his side if it came to it. He made his way quickly and quietly through the lower floor of the house, looking into the rooms as he passed them, but there was no sign of anyone.

Then he came to the door that lead down into the kitchen, he listened for a moment at the door, as he had at every room previous, and heard a faint rattling from below. Unless the master of the house was doing some cooking, it had to be Fai. He eased open the door and descended the stairs, moving silently just in case he was wrong. When he reached the bottom, he looked at the man working at the counter, so engrossed in what he was doing that he hadn't heard him. The chain he as trailing marked him as the one he was looking for.

Kurogane cleared his throat.

Fai spun, wide eyed, wielding a butter knife. When he saw Kurogane, he took a step back nervously. "Who are you?"

"Kurogane." He answered shortly. "Your Fai, right?"

Fai swallowed. "That depends on why you ask."

Kurogane took a step forward, only to stop again when Fai held the knife out in front of him like he intended to use it. "That's not going to do much damage you know." He pointed out.

Fai glanced at the knife and back to Kurogane. "Well, I don't know about that, I could take your eye out with it at least. Now why do you want to know who I am?" he asked.

"The Dream-seer sent me." Kurogane said.

"Dream-seer?" Fai asked, genuinely confused.

"Yes, Dream-seer, she saw you in a dream and sent me to get you."

"How do I know you're not one of Fei whathisface's men, sent to trick me?"

Kurogane looked at him, a mixture of irritability and wonderment, how idiotic was this person? You didn't lie about the Dream-seer. "Look, I don't have time for this. Let's go!" he took another step forward."

Fai waved the butter knife again. "Now wait just one second!" he said, causing Kurogane to halt once more. "You can't just come bursting in here and go dragging me about. That's not the way these things work! I don't even know who you are, or why this 'Dream-seer' sent you to get me. You can't go expecting people to trust you on just that!"

There was a wild sort of fear that flashed across the others blue eyes that made Kurogane stop and think before he next spoke. Obviously, there was something more than he realised going on here, and he recalled Lady Tomoyo's words. There was something interfering with her dreams surrounding this man, which meant that perhaps his mistrust was not entirely misplaced. But before he had a chance to speak, a white blob shot past him and leapt into Fai's arms.

"Fai!"

Fai looked surprised. "Mokona?" he took a few steps to the left so that he could look up the stairs behind Kurogane. "Where are Syaoran and Sakura?"

Mokona beamed happily. "They're with the Dream-seer!"

"The Dream..." blue eyes met Kurogane's and a slight apologetic smile replaced his previous wild look. "It seems I owe you an apology sir." He said.

Kurogane's eyes narrowed as he watched a mask settle firmly over Fai's face, like shutters closing behind his eyes all of a sudden, and he couldn't help but wonder why. He shrugged. "Doesn't matter, come one, we need to get you out of here and to the Dream-seer."

Fai gestured towards the chain connected to his ankle. "Be my guest, I can't get it loose."

Kurogane looked at the chain, unsheathed his sword and with a single, powerful stroke, the last four days frustrations adding to the strength, the sword shatter the chain close to the ankle. "We have tools at the temple for getting those things off."

Fai was unsure if he should be impressed or down heartened by this turn of events. This man was clearly some sort of hero like in the stories; not just anyone could sever a chain like that. He was not some maiden in need of rescue, he had decided that long ago now, after all, there was no hero out there for him, he was his own hero... But he was gracious, and the man, Kurogane, had helped him.

"Most impressive sir." He said, a playful smirk on his lips.

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "Let's go."

Mokona, who had been sitting on the counter top, frowning deeply, unnoticed by the two men, suddenly jumped to her feet and bounced ecstatically in place. It had taken her a while to place the sensation she was feeling, but she knew it now. "I found it!" she cried.

Fai turned to her, surprised. "Mokona?"

Mokona leapt from the counter into his arms, and pointed towards Kurogane. "I found what your heart desires most!"

Fai's entire world slowed and froze as he looked at Kurogane. What his heart desired most? Surely not... No, in fact, she must be wrong, because there was absolutely no way that this was true. Because if it was then it meant that... No, just no...

The world unfroze and Fai met Kurogane's eyes squarely, his smile brittle and a little bit bitter, and painfully polite. Kurogane looked a little curious as to what was going in, but Fai ignored that. "We should go then." He said, setting Mokona down on the countertop again and making his way to the stairs.

Mokona looked after him, worried. She hadn't been wrong, she knew she hadn't. So why was Fai so unhappy? He had found his Someone...

"Come on stuffy." Kurogane said. "We can't let the idiot go out there alone, he'll get caught."

Mokona nodded and hopped up to her place in the neck of Kurogane's cloak, silent as she tried to puzzle out why Fai had not been as overjoyed as she was that their mission was complete. She had lead him to his heart's desire, to his special someone, his hero, saviour! So why had he seemed so heartbroken?

Fai was waiting by the front door, polite smile still in place, and the three of them left the house and made their way through the dark streets and out of the city. Beginning the long walk to the Dream-seer's

_Heehee... I called it the Unluckiest Hero and its chapter 13... heehee... I find that really amusing, I hadn't noticed while I was writing it. Lol. Man was this chapter difficult to write; doing it at 4 in the morning was probably not the best idea... Sigh. But here we are anyway. And they finally met! Not the best of meetings... I'm not entirely sure how it became so angsty towards the end, but it did unfortunately. I'm sure there is a reason for it. Again, let me know if there are any problems with how the chapter reads and I'll try to fix it._


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